OFW rescued after 60 hours under rubble in Turkey

A Filipino woman was rescued after 60 hours under rubble following the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, Unang Balita reported on Tuesday.

Juliva Benlingan sustained wounds on her face, head and feet and was dehydrated when rescued, according to her sister Maribel. She is now recovering in a hospital.

In a Facebook post, Maribel said her sister is an overseas Filipino worker in Hatay.

"I received a call from the employer yesterday telling me that my sister was left in the building because she's dead. But, we did not give up praying for miracles, all the more that we stormed the heavens crying for life. And indeed God answered our prayers," Maribel said.

Death toll from the earthquake rose above 35,000 on Monday, as rescue teams started to wind down the search for survivors and the aid effort shifted to hundreds of thousands of people made homeless.

An Agence France-Presse (AFP) report said the confirmed death toll rose to 35,224 — 31,64 in Turkey and at least 3,581 in Syria.

The February 6 earthquake is the fifth deadliest since the start of the 21st century, the AFP report said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News