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Bassel Habkouk is reunited with his two children after being trapped for 52 hours after the devastating Feb. 6, 2023, earthquake in Turkey and Syria. | Photo courtesy of Bassel HabkoukOnly a few hours after Bassel Habkouk, a young Lebanese Catholic and father of two, arrived for a visit in Turkey on Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country and nearby Syria.
“Elias Al-Haddad spoke to me after the accident and asked for my help, but I was unable to move and help,” Habkouk recalled. “After about six hours, I no longer heard his voice.”“I stayed under the rubble for 52 hours, becoming stuck in a block about 2 meters long and 40 centimeters wide,” he recounted. “Exposed to the cold air without knowing where it came from, I did not feel hungry or thirsty, although I still had some food in my possession.
After five hours of relief work that continued until 2 a.m. the next day, the rescue of the other man was complete and the rescue workers left. Habkouk feared they would leave him stranded because he is not a Turkish citizen. Habkouk said prayer gave him the power to resist despair and strengthened his faith that he would be rescued.
“The people of Maghdouché used to make the sign of the cross whenever they left the village, saying to her: On you we place our hope, O Mother of God! And then on they went, trusting in the Lord through the intercession of Mary, and thanking her for her care for them, especially during difficult journeys.”
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