Syrian man emerges from wreckage, finds family mourning him

Mohammed Rayhan was buried beneath rubble for three days after regime forces attack on Douma, near Damascus last week

By ToI Staff 22 August 2015, 10:01 pm

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A man carries a wounded person in the rebel-held area of Douma,near the Syrian capital Damascus, following reported air strikes by regime forces on March 15, 2015. (AFP/ABD DOUMANY)

The relatives of a Syrian man who had gone missing and was presumed killed after government forces shelled a market in his hometown of Douma last week were shocked and relieved to have him turn up at the family’s doorstep three days later, as a mourning period over his death had already begun.

Mohammed Rayhan was among 117 people who were believed to have died in the attack on Douma, northeast of Damascus, and his family began mourning his death, the Telegraph reported. However, after three days of being buried beneath the rubble, Rayhan was pulled out of the wreckage by rescuers.

Rayhan returned home as soon as he could, interrupting the final day of mourning as he entered the building. The perplexed and joyous reactions of his relatives were caught on camera and posted to Facebook by a group of opposition activists.

Locals now refer to Rayhan as the “Living Martyr” after his ascent from the rubble, according to the Telegraph.

According to Rami Abdurrahman, director of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rayhan’s story is similar to that of others in the country.

“It often happens with children — I have heard of three-year-old children who have been mourned by their families and then found alive in rubble,” he said, according to the Telegraph.