London:

In the early morning of February 6, 2023, a devastating earthquake struck Turkey. The five-story Hatay building where 13-year-old Mehmet Koc lived collapsed, burying him in the rubble and causing the death of his 14-year-old brother E. Emre and his family lost their lives. Mother Didem.

Muhammad survived. But it took rescuers 76 hours to free him from the pile of concrete and twisted metal that was left of his home. Later in the hospital, doctors determined that his legs were so crushed and injured that they required amputation below the hips.

Mohamed’s father, Hassan, heard about the earthquake in London, where he lives and works, and immediately took the next flight to Turkey, heading to Hatay in the southeast, desperate for news about his family.

The 58-year-old encountered scenes of total destruction in the city and learned that his wife and eldest son had not survived, but Mohammed was alive and trapped. He and other relatives stood vigil beside the ruins.

Hassan himself was unable to speak to his son, but he relayed a message to his teenage neighbor Hayrettin, who was trapped closer to the surface, and his words could reach Mohammed and communicate with him as rescuers approached. Talk to keep him awake.

Speaking at a hospital in Turkey last February, Mohammed said: “I shouted ‘Help’. Our neighbor Hayretin told me when to shout, and when he told me, I shouted for help.”

“When I was rescued, I didn’t feel or think anything, I was confused. When they rescued me, I wanted water. My family was waiting for me outside and I saw them after I was pulled from the rubble. ,” he continued, adding that he didn’t know how long he had been trapped.

Doctors in Turkey said that had he arrived an hour later, he would have died.

Mohammed spent two months in a Turkish hospital before recovering and flying to the UK. Hassan, who first came to Britain in the 1990s and holds British citizenship like Mohammed, found his son’s crumpled British passport in the rubble.

A year later, father and son were living in Hassan’s small flat in Hackney, east London, both grieving for their loved ones and coming to terms with the tragedy.

“We are trying to adjust to life,” Hassan said.

“Mohammed started going to school and things are getting better. He supports me now and he tells me ‘Dad, we can’t bring them back and we can’t change what happened. Let’s forget all this and move on’.”

Caring for his son, managing his many medical appointments, and applying for support and social services was a daunting task. Friends in the local Turkish community did what they could to help, but Hassan gave up his job as a school administrator to care for him.

“I was heartbroken but I tried not to show it when I was around him. He was very brave and very supportive,” he said.

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Mohammed is being treated at the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital, an hour’s drive across London from his home.

He was fitted with a prosthetic leg, and in the hospital he practiced walking and doing exercises to build strength. However, the legs are difficult to get used to, they take time to fit properly, and they need to be adjusted frequently as he grows. He may also face more surgeries.

Doctors estimate that walking on flat ground with bilateral above-the-knee prostheses requires 300% more energy than walking naturally, and is particularly difficult for children.

Mohammad enjoys playing computer games, keeping in touch with his Turkish school friends, and talking to relatives in Turkey, including his grandmother. He has always loved football. He said his favorite English team was Manchester City and that Norwegian striker Erling Haaland was a special hero.

He has now started attending a London school after a home visit from a teacher arranged by the local council.

Simon Joseph, a medical needs tutor at Hackney Council, said: “It was great teaching Mohammed and getting to know him better.”

“His warm and friendly nature has become more and more evident over the weeks. He has a wonderful sense of humor, especially when trying out new English words.”

Turkey’s worst earthquake in modern times killed more than 50,000 people and injured hundreds of thousands, changing their lives. In Syria, some 5,900 people have died.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes and cities, but the World Health Organization has warned that people affected by the disaster are under severe psychological stress.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)