“The country is devastated, the pain of the people is felt in the body”considered Daniel Iglesias, head of the rescue group that Argentina sent to Turkey on February 9 to collaborate with the search for survivors of the earthquake, which has already caused more than 35,000 deaths in that country and in Syria, and warned that “we are very over the limit” to rescue people alive from the rubble, a week after the earthquake.
In dialogue with Télam, Iglesias commented that the 32 lifeguards and two dogs sent by the Argentine government continue to search for survivors among the rubble 24 hours a day.after an earthquake considered the fifth deadliest since the beginning of the 21st century.
“We are still looking for people alive although we are very over the limit to find them. It is an earthquake of magnitudes that cannot be explained, you have to see it personally”said the rescuer from the camp in the city of Hatay, his voice shaking from the cold that prevails in that area of Turkey at this time of year.
The USAR brigade, which was sent from Argentina to Turkey on February 9, is made up of 28 highly qualified troops in technical search, canine search, medical assistance, hazardous materials, and structural engineering, and they share the work together with 4 troops from the Argentine Agency for International Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance – White Helmets (ACIAH).
Veronica Ayala, coordinator of the White Helmets Emergency Health Logistics, commented to Télam that “the situation is bleak, there were many losses of human lives, homes, buildings… the damage is great.”
Ayala, who worked in similar situations twice in Haiti, in the 2010 and 2021 disasters, and in Ecuador in 2019, asserted that this mission in Turkey “is very complex.”
“It is my fourth mission in earthquakes, and all situations are different, they leave you with different experiences, although the phenomenon is the same. It depends a lot on the culture, the climate, the situation of the population, it is a catastrophe. The fact of being so far away, the different language and the cold make the work harder in this emergency,” he said.
“The devastated area is very wide, the extension of the territory that the earthquake affected is as large as Portugal. The 84 rescue teams from around the world cannot cope”assured Iglesias from the camp in the city of Hatay, where they share the operations center with rescuers from Australia, Romania, France and Spain.
“Today the French team managed to find 3 people alive. Up to now we have found lifeless people in the buildings after carrying out breaking tasks on several slabs. The Dutch brigade told us that they have not found a living person for 19 years , but we should not get discouraged because it can happen,” he said.
Iglesias commented that, upon arriving in Turkey, the members of a rescue team were withdrawing because they could not sustain themselves from a psychological point of view and they were told clearly: “prepare for the apocalypse.”
“When we got to the field we understood what they were talking about,” he said, adding that “the country is devastated, the pain of the people is felt in their bodies.”
The coordination of the international teams is carried out by the Turkish Disaster Management Agency (AFAD), which has more than 160,000 rescuers operating in that country.
“For now, AFAD as an authority determined that we must continue looking for people alive among the rubble. Then, when they decide, we will move on to another phase”Iglesias explained.
The Federal Police brigade commanded by Iglesias is called ARG 12, and it is the only medium-sized brigade in the country that is internationally certified for rescue tasks in the face of this type of tragedy.
“We have a year as a team and this is an impressive experience. Despite the tragedy, emotionally the team is very united, very motivated. My task as a leader is to keep everyone encouraged, to see that they are well, that they are fed. We meet With a lot of cold, we got thicker blankets, this is to see day by day how to improve the conditions of the camp”, asserted the brigade leader.
Both Ayala and Iglesias recognized that despite the tragedy, the locals show great kindness and respect for the rescuers.
“The population is extremely generous and cordial with the teams that come to collaborate, they are moved. They do not stop offering you tea whenever they can, they come by and say hello. They are very grateful for the help,” Ayala said.
“A lot of work is being done and people are very grateful to our brigade. We give ourselves too much, we go to work anywhere, but always respecting security conditions”Iglesias asserted and said that thanks to football he was able to get close to some Turkish children.
“In the refugee camp there were some kids with a ball, we called them ‘Messi’ and we went over to play with them. They laughed and we celebrated the game. Encouraging their souls feeds us, they are breaths of air that we need to continue with our work,” he said.
The Argentine humanitarian mission will be installed for at least ten days in the camp that it shares with rescuers from other countries to continue this humanitarian task, but that period can be extended if required.
“For now we will continue to search for people alive. What follows will depend a lot on the tasks that the Turkish government establishes”Ayala concluded.
