How is it that during an earthquake, some people survive under the rubble and some do not?

Question

For the past six days small miracles have been happening where people and even babies are still being pulled out from under the rubble. It is well known that children have good guardian angels. Why do adults die under the rubble and fewer small children and babies?? The fact that the rescuers are still pulling babies, children and others out after six days is truly a miracle, because after 72 hours there is no water left. I feel really sorry for the children and those who were rescued are traumatized, have had limbs amputated and are left without parents. It is also not right that people are being destroyed by construction work. Even if the Turks have now arrested numerous builders, it is no use now, because the life of the deceased cannot be brought back. Many people in Turkey and Armenia/Syria are saying that if the big mega earthquake really does hit the center of Istanbul soon, the city will disappear from the face of the earth and when you think about it, how can we get 16 million inhabitants so that it doesn't end in a mega catastrophe. So, fear is currently lurking in Istanbul and the surrounding area, where the tectonic plates are currently unstable. I hope the experts are wrong and this doesn't come to that.

atm77 · Answer

There are an infinite number of factors that influence the probability of survival. In other words, they were simply luckier than the others.

critter · Answer

Some houses literally collapse like dust, making it almost impossible to sustain life in them. In other houses, entire walls collapse, lying crisscrossed and "supporting" each other. This creates cavities in which people can survive for a while, unless they are seriously injured by a concrete wall or ceiling and die shortly afterwards.

benjaminsisko · Answer

Because every debris situation is individual and also the injury patterns, temperature, access to fluid,

muckel3302 · Answer

When a house collapses, it doesn't crumble into dust. Instead, it creates large and small pieces of debris, depending on the stability of the respective components, such as ceilings, walls, etc. This also creates many hollow spaces, and in these hollow spaces, one naturally has a better chance of survival, as the spaces also contain air. Water may also drain through broken pipes, which increases the chance of survival. So, several factors have to work together, and luck is also a factor.