Spanish rescue teams praise Turkish people's 'extraordinary solidarity' during search efforts

MADRID

Spanish rescue teams on Monday praised the support of local people and authorities during their mission in southern Türkiye, which was hit by two powerful earthquakes last week.

Spain was one of the countries that responded most rapidly to Türkiye's call for international assistance last Monday, when the twin earthquakes struck.

The team of 84 people consisting of logistics, coordination and health personnel was sent to Türkiye together with a field hospital equipped with the latest technology and drugs, capable of caring for 150-200 patients per day, hosting 20 people in beds, and performing surgery.

After completing their work on the ground, three teams from Spanish non-governmental organizations returned to their country.

"The love and solidarity we saw was incredible and we are glad to have done a good job. It was very difficult and we tried to do our best," Cinthia Morales, a member of the Firefighters Without Borders team, told Anadolu at the Madrid's Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas.

"We are glad to have done a good job. It was very difficult and we tried to do our best. We worked very well and coordinated with the Turkish authorities and volunteers," she added.

Morales underlined that she had experienced very difficult times during the rescue efforts in Türkiye, saying that there were tough moments, especially when they realize that the condition of a person they pulled from the rubble was taking a turn for the worse.

"Those moments were very difficult. We were worried for the person's life, but we brought them back to life with the intervention of our team and paramedics," she said.

Florentino Luque, another member of the rescue team, said they helped locate and remove a person stuck under the rubble.

"We also talked to the hospital where he was taken and heard that he was in good health. That's enough for us," he said.

He also voiced appreciation for the love that the Turkish people showed towards them from the first moment of their arrival.

"They treated us very well. They made everything easy and helpful. The experience we had with the Turkish people was extraordinary for us. They were with us at every moment and tried to help us," he said.

"We need to mention that the (local) people met us with an utter, extraordinary solidarity," he added

At least 31,643 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye last Monday, according to the latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in less than 10 hours.

Nearly 238,500 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, and over 158,00 people have been evacuated from the quake-hit regions so far, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

Around 9,450 foreign personnel from 81 countries are currently working in the field, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

*Writing by Aysu Bicer