The story of a father who met his daughter for the first time on Friday, February 17, after spending eleven days trapped under the rubble in earthquake-hit Turkey, is touching.
Mustafa Avci, 33, was rescued alongside Mehmet Ali Sakiroglu, 26. The pair became trapped when the health center they were in collapsed in Antakya on February 6, as parts of south-west Turkey and parts of Syria were devastated by two powerful quakes.
The two managed, against all odds, to stay alive until rescue crews freed them on Friday. So Mustafa Avci managed to meet his baby daughter for the first time.
As can be seen in the photos, the 33-year-old is lying in the hospital bed with medical tubes connected, and despite his exhaustion, he is gaining strength by hugging his newborn daughter.
Pictures from the hospital show his wife Bilge presenting baby Almile to her father for the first time. Avci is seen kissing his daughter’s head while lying back on a hospital bed, still hooked up to various medical tubes.
Incredible footage of his rescue in Hatay Province showed how he was still able to speak on the phone while wrapped in a thermal blanket and wearing a neck brace. In the clip, he is heard speaking excitedly on a mobile phone to his relative.
