The first step of the rescue operation was to use heavy machinery: excavators, mobile cranes, and hydraulic jacks, to shift the largest slabs of concrete, parting huge piles of rubble to rescue those trapped under the remains of what had once been their homes.
After the large debris was removed, the machines fell silent as the rescue teams listened out for even the faintest sign of life. At the first hint of noise, teams of volunteers then used small tools like pickaxes, shovels, or sometimes even their bare hands to reach the survivors; a task made even more difficult by the harsh winter conditions. In the first night after the earthquake, temperatures in Armanaz plummeted below zero.
To support the rescue effort in this precious 72-hour window, People in Need (PIN) donated 50,000 litres of petrol to rescue workers around Idleb and to the north of Aleppo to fuel their heavy machinery. This has helped to maintain the momentum of round-the-clock rescue operations throughout this vital period.
A short distance from Um Ammar's street, in the Al-Taleh neighbourhood in the same small town of Armanaz, Zaher lost nine members of his family when their apartment building collapsed. He stood in front of the heap of rubble after a tense rescue effort and recounted the events of the night before.