Quake victim saved after tweeting Turkish president

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Abdullah Gül. Daily News Photo

A person trapped beneath rubble in a major earthquake in Van last year was rescued after tweeting Turkish President Abdullah Gül, the head of the Presidency Internet Department has revealed, private broadcaster NTV reported yesterday.

The citizen was located via his mobile phone’s signal and rescued 30 minutes after Gül informed authorities about the tweet posted by the citizen, asking construction vehicles to stop clearing the wreckage due to his presence there.

Presidency Internet Department head Mücahit Küçükyılmaz shared the story at a local and regional media meeting in the southwestern province of Muğla, stressing the importance of effective social media.

Gül chose to conceal the story so that it would not appear that he was advertising himself, the reports said.

More than 640 people lost their lives in the 7.2-magnitude quake in Van on Oct. 23, 2011.