Firefighter marries woman he rescued from Feb. 6 quake rubble
Cebrail Sarsılmaz and Sinem Kaynak, whom he rescued from the rubble of an apartment in Kahramanmaraş, pose for a photo after their wedding, Ankara, Türkiye, June 3, 2024. (AA Photo)


Ankara Fire Department employee Cebrail Sarsılmaz, who rescued Sinem Kaynak from the wreckage of Müjde Apartment in Kahramanmaraş after the earthquakes on Feb. 6, 2023, tied the knot with her.

According to a statement from Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, the marriage of Ankara firefighter Sarsılmaz and Kaynak, whom he rescued from under the rubble of Müjde Apartment during the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, was solemnized at the Aşık Veysel Wedding Hall.

Expressing excitement for both himself and his wife due to the happy ending after a tragic event, Sarsılmaz said: "I participated in search and rescue operations for 13 days during the Feb. 6 earthquake. We rescued my wife and her sister alive from the Müjde Apartment in Kahramanmaraş. It's a unique and indescribable feeling. We turned a tragic event into such a happy ending."

Kaynak also shared her feelings with these words: "Although we came together as a result of a sad event, we were among the lucky few rescued from the wreckage. Afterward, life brought us together. There is a bitter sorrow within us; we are sad for our own losses and the losses of others, but life goes on, and we are happy."