Woman found alive seven days after building collapse

A 23-YEAR-OLD woman was found alive in the rubble of an apartment building in central Turkey yesterday, seven days after the building collapsed.

Rescue workers were trying to free Yasemin Yaprakci from the rubble, a day after teams pulled a 16-year-old boy from the debris on Sunday, after almost six days under the rubble.

“I kept hearing the voices of rescuers,” Kalem told re porters after being pulled from the wreckage.

“I tried not to lose hope thinking they would eventually find me. I fell asleep from time to time.”

At least 75 people died in the collapse. The 11-floor building in central Turkey collapsed last Monday. Twenty-nine survivors were pulled from the wreckage.

Rescuers found 12 more bodies in the ruins on Sunday. Muhammet Kalem was the first survivor to be pulled from the wreckage in almost five days Kalem’s father, Ahmet, was shocked to learn his son had survived.

“I had lost all hope, I still cannot believe it,” he said. “I thought I would be burying him.”

Ahmet Kalem’s wife and older son were still missing.

Officials blamed the collapse on shoddy construction and a Turkish court on Friday charged two contractors with negligence.