It has been a week since a deadly earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, killing thousands. But amid the despair, stories of “miracles” have emerged. This is one of them.
When Nicola Kamoz gave birth to her second son on January 27, she named him Yagiz, which means “brave.”
Just 10 days later, at 04:17 local time, Nikla was feeding her son at her home in the southern Turkish province of Hatay. Moments later, they were buried under piles of rubble.
Nikla and her family lived on the second floor of a modern five-story building in Samandag town. It was a “good building,” she says, and she felt safe there.
What she didn’t know that morning was that the area would be torn apart by the earthquake, with buildings destroyed and damaged at every turn.
“When the earthquake started, I wanted to go to my husband who was in the other room, and he wanted to do the same,” she says.
“But when he tried to come to me with our second son, the wardrobe collapsed on him and it became impossible for him to move.
“As the earthquake got bigger, the wall collapsed, the room was shaking, and the building was shifting position. When it stopped, I didn’t realize I had fallen down a floor. I called out his name but no one came. No response.”
The 33-year-old woman found herself lying on her chest with her baby, still held in her arms. A fallen wardrobe next to him saved his life by preventing him from being crushed by a large slab of concrete.
The couple will stay in this position for about four days.
Day One
Lying in her pajamas under the wreckage, Nikla could see nothing but “pitch black.” He had to rely on his other senses to know what was going on.
To her relief she could tell right away that Yagiz was still breathing.
Due to the dust, he had trouble breathing at first, but said it soon got better. She was hot in the wreckage.
She felt like there were children’s toys under her but she couldn’t manage to check herself or make herself more comfortable.
Apart from the wardrobe, the soft skin of her newborn son and the clothes she was wearing, she could feel nothing but concrete and rubble.
He could hear voices in the distance. He tried to shout for help and turned his hand on the cupboard.
“Is there anyone there? Can anyone hear me?” He called.
When that didn’t work, he picked up small pieces of debris that fell to him. He slammed them against the cupboard, hoping it would be louder. She was afraid of hitting the surface above her if she fell.
Still no one answered.
Nikla realizes that no one will come.
“I was terrified,” she says.
