'Save my cat first': Turkey student buried under rubble tells rescuers. Watch

The cat "Strawberry" was successfully rescued. (Screengrab from Reuters video)

A student in Turkey who was buried under debris caused by the powerful earthquake earlier this week, had a condition for the rescuers who were trying to pull him out -- his cat "Strawberry" had to be saved first.

Kerem Cetin's request was honoured and rescuers pulled out a rather reluctant and bewildered ginger white cat from the rubble before helping him.

When a local rescue team found university student Kerem Cetin under rubble in Turkey's Hatay, the earthquake victim immediately asked them to save his cat before pulling him out pic.twitter.com/WmwQC4csT2

Story continues below Advertisement

Remove Ad

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 8, 2023

The incident has won hearts on social media with many lauding the pet owner in Turkey.

"People love their pets. They are family too! When you think that animals should not be saved, remember that the animal may be the only family member many people may have left. All lives matter. God bless these rescuers and all who are affected by this devastating tragedy," commented Michelle H (@MHannveg).

"The owner was trying to get his cat out first while the cat is clearly having hard time leaving their owner in there. It's possible that cat could've left earlier if it wanted to but stuck by him. This is love," wrote another Twitter user Rosefairy Steep (@Rosefairyy).

Brendda Chen (@BrenddaChen) said, "I totally understand why the victim Kerem Cetin said ‘Save my cat before pulling me out’ bc he knew once the "human" is rescued, the trapped animal might just be ignored. And it won't take long saving his cat either."

Watch: Syrian boy smiles, plays with rescue workers who pulled him out of rubble

Five days after two powerful earthquakes hours apart caused thousands of buildings to collapse, killing more than 28,000 people and leaving millions homeless, rescuers were still pulling unlikely survivors from the ruins — one of them just seven months old.

Although each rescue elicited hugs and shouts of “Allahu akbar (God is great)!” — from the men and women working tirelessly in the freezing temperatures to save lives, they were the exception in a region blanketed by grief, desperation, and mounting frustration.

Read more: Student trapped under debris in Turkey shares location on WhatsApp, rescued. Watch