The UAE rescue team has pulled two young men alive from the rubble of a building in Kahramanmaras in Turkey nine days after Monday’s deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.
The two men are 19 and 21 years old, respectively, and were rescued nine days after they were buried under the rubble following the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023.
Also, a woman was rescued from the rubble of a building in the southern Turkish city of Hatay on Tuesday afternoon, some 203 hours (more than 8 days) after a devastating earthquake struck the region, Turkish media reported.
READ ALSO: Haram crane crash: Makkah court slams SR20 million fines on Binladin group
Earlier reports said the rescued person was a man, but later state broadcaster TRT reported a woman was pulled out from under the rubble in the city.
Earlier in the day, an 18-year-old named Mohammad Cafer was rescued from the rubble of a building in southern Turkey, the third rescue of the morning some 198 hours.
Al Hammadi noted that the area is being surveyed by the police dog Unit (k9) of the Belarusian team, followed by another survey of the area by the UAE team (k9) to ensure there are no other survivors.
He also pointed out that the rescue and search teams’ efforts have contributed to saving many lives during the past few days.
DEATH TOLL
The disaster, with a combined death toll in Turkey and neighbouring Syria exceeding 37,000, has ravaged cities in both countries, leaving many survivors homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures.
The team is working in the earthquake-hit areas as part of the “Gallant Knight 2” operation launched by the Ministry of Defence’s Joint Operations Command in cooperation with a French Rescue team, in saving two people in Kahramanmaras.
The team continues its search and rescue efforts in both southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria in search of survivors.
The first to be rescued was an 11-year-old child while the second was a man believed to be between the ages of 50 and 60 of Turkish nationality.
With efficient teamwork, the search and rescue mission was carried out in the Kahramanmaraş region and concluded with success. They were trapped under the rubble for nearly 120 hours.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked the UAE government and its people for the support provided in the aid, search and rescue operations in the aftermath of the earthquakes that rocked the nation on February 6.
Erdogan shared his thoughts in a televised video message on the second day of the World Government Summit in Dubai on Tuesday. “We will never forget the friendship you extended to us. During this process, we have received support and condolence messages from more than 100 countries, particularly the UAE, the host of this summit,” he said.
- Advertisement -
