Viral / 3-foot-tall man with dwarfism rescues earthquake victims in Turkey

Ankara: Among the destruction caused by an earthquake that hit just off the coast of Turkey, there have been heroes attempting to rescue those stuck in the wreckage. One of those is a brave rescuer with dwarfism, who has been using his small size to crawl under the rubble and help pull out victims trapped beneath. Ridvan Celik is a hero who has been working round the clock to save earthquake victims in Izmir, the city that suffered the worst fall out from the earthquake. Ridvan, who is just 3 feet tall, traveled from his home town to Izmir upon hearing the news of the earthquake. After arriving in the city, he joined the rescue teams to save victims. A national newspaper reported that Ridvan has been working nonstop for four days now.

"When I heard about the earthquake in Istanbul, I bought my own ticket and came to Izmir. We met our teammates here. I think about the children and parents who might be under the rubble with my memories and experiences of the 1999 earthquake," Ridvan told Yeni Safak. "I jumped on the task, thinking that it could be me or my loved ones under that rubble. I did not hesitate," he added. Even though the rescue operations are becoming difficult with the dropping temperatures, Radvik is continuing his work. Temperatures have been dropping below 10°C and many of the victims of the earthquake have been staying outdoors in tents, having to light fires in order to keep warm overnight. As a result of the earthquake, there have been at least 116 deaths in Turkey as well as the death of two teenagers in Greece. Dozens of people remain missing and the rescue efforts continue.