06.02.2025 18:01
On February 6, 2023, during the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, 8-year-old Beşir Yıldız, who was miraculously rescued alive 81 hours after the collapse of the Hisami Apartment in Diyarbakır, recounted his experiences that day. The child said, "It felt like I was wrapped in a blanket; it was warm and didn't hurt at all. It was dark, and I couldn't see much."
```html
In the first seconds of the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, the 10-story Hisami Apartment that collapsed in Diyarbakır became a grave for 100 people. Eight-year-old Beşir Yıldız was miraculously rescued alive from the rubble of the apartment located in the Mevlana Halit neighborhood of the Bağlar district after 81 hours. However, the lifeless bodies of Yıldız's father, Ahmet Yıldız, mother, Nursel Yıldız, brother, Ferhat, sister, Nurşin, and sibling, Onur Yıldız, were recovered from the debris.
HE MET WITH THE TEAM THAT RESCUED HIM
In the footage of the moment of his rescue, Beşir was seen telling AFAD Provincial Director İlami Çakmak and the personnel that he was trapped everywhere, saying, "I will die of thirst and hunger. Give me water."
Having lost his entire family, Beşir began living with his uncle İbrahim Tosun (39) and his family in Mardin after his treatment. On the anniversary of the earthquake, Beşir Yıldız and his uncle visited the Diyarbakır AFAD Provincial Directorate, where they met with the team that rescued him, in an event attended by Governor Murat Zorluoğlu.
"IT FELT LIKE A BLANKET WAS WRAPPED AROUND ME"
Beşir Yıldız recounted his experiences under the rubble. The child stated that he felt nothing while under the debris, saying, "It felt like a blanket was wrapped around me, it was warm and didn't hurt at all. Sometimes I felt thirsty, but sometimes my thirst went away despite being thirsty. It was dark, I couldn't see much. I was praying, and when I heard the voice of AFAD, I understood they had come."
"WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE HIM FORGET HIS PAIN"
İbrahim Tosun, Beşir's uncle, stated that he is now both Beşir's mother and father, saying, "We were here on the day of the earthquake. We waited by the rubble for 5 days. We lost 5 lives. His mother, father, and 3 siblings were trapped under the rubble. He became our hope when he was rescued after 81 hours. So far, we have been trying to prevent him from feeling the absence of his family. He lives with us, and I am his guardian. We are taking care of him with his aunt. I am both his father and everything to him. We are trying to make him forget his pain. We live in Mardin, and he is currently in the 5th grade at a private school. His family had just bought their house a year before the earthquake. It had been about a year. After that, the earthquake destroyed everything."
"OUR PAIN IS GREAT, BUT OUR JOYS ARE BEAUTIFUL"
Mehmet Turgut Tayuzak, the leader of the Search and Rescue (DÜAK) team from Dicle University, who was part of the team that rescued Beşir, said, "We had previously heard Beşir's voice and breath. Then we conducted a thorough search with the dog. As a result of the search, we felt that Beşir was there. We heard his voice, and while going towards that voice, the Diyarbakır AFAD Director İlami Çakmak was with us. We entered the tunnel with him and rescued Beşir together. Thank God, Beşir is here with us now. We are experiencing great happiness in seeing this today. May God grant everyone such beautiful joys. Our pain is great, but our joys are beautiful." At the end of the event, Beşir was gifted a bicycle by AFAD.
```