The earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria early last month produced several miracle stories, but the one that stands out is that of a man who was presumed to be dead after being retrieved from beneath the rubble in Syria but came back to life during his funeral procession.
Rescuers pulled Ahmad Al-Magribi from beneath a building that fell during a massive earthquake in the Syrian town of Atarib a few weeks ago. The man was unresponsive when rescue workers hauled him out, and paramedics were unable to revive him, so his seemingly dead body was transferred to the funeral home.
He remained unresponsive at the mortuary for two days before family members arrived to identify him.
The morgue personnel placed Al-Magribi’s body in a body bag and transferred him to a nearby cemetery a few hours after his relatives identified him.
Everyone in the funeral procession, however, was astonished when it became evident that the man inside the bag, supposed to be dead, was alive moments before the procession began.
His family members hurried him back to the hospital when they recovered from the shock of a dead body ready for burial unexpectedly coming back to life. He was treated and stayed under observation.
There were several theories as to what caused the deceased man to resurrect, with local media sources claiming that Al-Magribi’s heart may have stopped beating for a period and then restarted. Funeral directors are baffled.
Many victims were rescued from the earthquake rubble after being buried for nearly 200 hours.
The earthquakes in Turkey and Syria are among the most devastating natural disasters in recent memory. Both countries have lost about 50,000 individuals combined, with Turkey leading with over 40,000.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck areas of Turkey and Syria early on February 6, followed by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake a few hours later. The quakes caused unprecedented destruction, with most buildings toppling.
Many survivors are hesitant to return to their homes, and as a result of gasoline shortages and frequent power outages, some are sleeping outside and huddling in automobiles.
