ISTANBUL: As local and international rescue teams in southern Turkey continue to race against time with the slogan “don’t lose hope,” families of earthquake survivors rejoice as their loved ones are pulled out of collapsed buildings.
Two such international search and rescue groups from Pakistan were among those that brought relief to the residents of Adiyaman, one of the 10 provinces jolted by Monday’s powerful tremors.
The devastating earthquakes hit Turkey early this week, resulting in the death of over 18,300 and leveling of thousands of buildings. Even four days later, relentless rescue efforts have kept hope alive.
The Rescue 1122 team of 52 personnel landed in Turkey on Tuesday, as did two military teams with a total of 33 soldiers along with specially-trained sniffer dogs and search and rescue equipment.
So far, they’ve rescued five survivors from under the debris of residential buildings in Adiyaman.
“Pakistan Army soldiers brought joy to their families when they rescued alive two trapped residents in the region, while members of Pakistan Rescue 1122 helped save three people, pulling them out of the debris,” said an official from Islamabad who was following the teams’ work.
Pakistan has flown three C-130 military transport planes to Adana province, while two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights carrying the search and rescue teams landed in Istanbul.
Another C-130 flight is expected to land on Friday carrying medical supplies, tents, and blankets.
The official, who asked to remain unnamed, told Anadolu Agency the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan was coordinating the search and rescue operations with the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).
After landing in Turkey, said the official, “all forward deployment of search, rescue, and relief personnel is being done by AFAD on the basis of need assessment of the earthquake-affected regions.”
“Pakistan is also mulling to ship aid for earthquake victims in trucks using the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul route.”
On Wednesday night, Ambassador Yousaf Junaid and Pakistan’s diplomatic mission visited a municipal donation point in the capital Ankara, delivering relief goods for earthquake survivors, including jackets, shoes, food, water, baby food, diapers, and sanitary items.
“I am confident, that with the traditional Turkish spirit of overcoming all obstacles and defeating all challenges, the Turkish nation will emerge out of this catastrophe stronger than ever and you will find the people of Pakistan always standing with you,” Junaid said.
FOUNDATION MOBILISES RESOURCES, PAKISTANI DIASPORA
As “all-out” domestic efforts continue by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to extend help to Turkey, a prominent foundation in the country has reached out to the diaspora to join the post-quake rehabilitation operations.
“Our appeal seeking help for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria inside Pakistan has received a positive response,” Abdus Shakoor, vice president of the Al Khidmat Foundation, told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.
He flew to Istanbul soon after the earthquakes hit Turkey on Monday.
With a dedicated volunteer force of more than 60,000, the foundation won hearts in Pakistan for its efforts to mitigate the devastation caused by unprecedented floods last year in the nation.
Besides mobilising its resources within Pakistan, said Shakoor, the Al Khidmat Foundation “has issued an appeal to Pakistanis living abroad, the diaspora, to come forward and help the people of Turkey and Syria.”
“We have reached out to Pakistanis in the UK, the US, Europe, Australia, and other countries for fundraising to meet the needs of those affected by these earthquakes,” he added.
At least 18,342 people were killed and 74,242 others injured in the twin earthquakes that hit southern parts of Turkey and were also felt in nearby countries, including Syria and Lebanon.
A total of 6,444 buildings collapsed due to the powerful quakes that occurred in the space of fewer than 10 hours and were felt in nearby countries such as Lebanon and Syria.
Turkey has declared a three-month state of emergency in the 10 provinces hit by the tremors: Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Kahramanmaras, where the epicentre was located.
Shakoor said the Al Khidmat team in Turkey also helped trace Pakistani nationals living in the disaster zone.
“We identified some 40 students and 50-60 families,” he said, adding the foundation had gotten in touch with around 30 students and “have shifted some of them to Adana province and contacted their families back home in Pakistan.”
The foundation, Shakoor said, has flown a 47-member Search and Rescue team from Pakistan to Turkey to help in the ongoing disaster efforts.
Equipped with the latest search and rescue equipment, the crew was approved by Turkey’s AFAD.
Shakoor said specialist orthopaedic doctors were among those Al Khidmat registered in Pakistan and from among the country’s diaspora community.
“If and when we get the green signal from Turkey’s Ministry of Health, they will fly into the country,” he said. “Right now, the focus is on rescuing people from under the debris.”
He said Pakistanis living in Turkey “are being organised by Al Khidmat for various aspects of search, rescue and relief operations including blood donation, collection of warm clothes and food.”
“We are coordinating with the IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) and other organisations for food distribution, installation of tents, and distribution of beddings,” he said, referring to a major Istanbul-based charity that has operations across the country and overseas.
“We are also working on buying and setting up mobile kitchens,” he said, adding his team is analysing the evolving situation in the aftermath of earthquakes “and will decide how to move forward and approve various projects in the coming week.”
A total of more than 120,344 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the disaster zone, according to AFAD, with 30,360 people evacuated from areas affected by the quakes and following 243 aftershocks.
