Amid the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria that has already claimed over 3,000 lives, Shiran Franco, who miraculously survived of the 1999 Turkey earthquake which claimed over 18,000 lives, has been reliving that day since last night's quake.
"This is the first time since 1999 that I physically felt an earthquake. Both I and my husband woke up. It was rough."
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Shiran Franco pulled from rubble after 5 days in 1999
(Photo: IDF spokesperson's Unit)
Shiran, who was nine years old on August 17 of 1999, was staying with her family in a small apartment hotel when the quake hit, leaving countless people buried beneath the rubble near the city of Izmit. An Israeli search and rescue expedition was dispatched to Turkey and managed to retrieve her after 5 days but her Father, brother and grandparents did not survive.
Two children being extracted from the rubble
(Footage: Reuters)
"It took us about 30 minutes last night to understand it happened in Turkey. We live in a multi-story building so the quake felt much closer," she says.
"I don't remember the earthquake of 1999. All I remember is the rescue and calling my twin brother afterward. Today I'm an adult and I understand the ramifications of what had happened. I'm also a mother of three, so my first thought is always about my children," she says.
Do they know what happened to you back then?
"My 8-year-old son does. Last night we didn't want to stay at the building so we moved to my mother's, and my son held me and asked if it was the same as what happened to me. I tried to remain strong for him and said yes.
Can you understand what the people beneath the rubble are going through right now?
"It's complete helplessness. You don't know what happened, and you don't know if the rest of your family is still alive. You just wait for someone to reach his hand out to you. I feel for them. No one understands what they're going through more than I do."
The worst part is being alone.
"Yes. You're alone and you can't see anything. It's terrifying."
In Syria, the number of casualties is approaching 1,000, with several hundred in areas still controlled by President Assad and hundreds more in the rebel-controlled areas.
In Turkey, the number of those wounded stands at over 8,000 and climbing, and thousands of buildings had collapsed.
This earthquake is one of the strongest in the world in recent years, and the strongest in the middle east since 1939. Measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, it occurred at 3:18 AM Israel time and was felt in various parts of the country as well, as many reported their entire buildings moving from side to side.
The quake's epicenter was about 20 miles away from the city of Gaziantep in southern Turkey. Over 100 aftershocks were felt in the following hours.
A second earthquake, measuring 7.7, occurred about nine hours after the first one and was also felt in many parts of Israel. This one originated near the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, just northwest of Gaziantep.
With the second earthquake being almost as powerful as the first, many believe the number of fatalities will continue to rise.