Azernews.Az

A 20-year-old Azerbaijani woman has survived Sunday’s devastating earthquake in eastern Turkey and was successfully removed from the rubble, Turkish newspaper Vatan reported.

Rescue workers toiled for five hours to save Vusale Chalishkan, but her arm had to be amputated to save her life.

"Everything happened in a matter of minutes," she says. "We lived on the third floor of a six-story building. I was cooking for our visitors in the kitchen. When the earthquake hit, I did my best to escape. But when I got to the door, the building collapsed, leaving me under a pile of concrete. My arm was injured. At that point, I didn’t want to live. But my husband’s voice returned me to life. So, when I heard him, I said to myself ‘I must survive’ and called for help."

Chalishkan moved to Turkey a year and a half ago after marrying Murat Chalishkan, a Turkish citizen who was receiving education in the Azerbaijani capital Baku.

523 people have been reported killed and 1,650 injured in the 7.2 magnitude quake in Turkey’s Van province. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue officials fear for the many who remain trapped under the rubble. 185 people have been removed from the debris so far.