Illustration photo – Search and rescue efforts continue after the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, February 8, 2023.
Prague/Adiyaman (Turkey) – Czech rescuers in the Turkish city of Adiyaman have so far rescued eight victims of Monday's earthquake, including four children, from collapsed residential buildings. There is still hope for finding people alive, Jakub Kozák, spokesman for the Czech fire brigade, told journalists today. The rescuers assume that several dozen people remain in the rubble, and according to them, rescuing the dead is also important for the sake of the survivors.
Advertisement'; }
Photo gallery: Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
The recovery of those who did not survive the accident is also important not only for the subsequent continuation of the movement deeper into the collapsed house, but also for the relatives who are watching the work directly on the spot, said Kozák. Members of the Czech USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) team specialized in searching for people in the rubble began searching two buildings with an area of approximately 40 by 40 meters in Adiyaman on Tuesday evening. Kozák has already stated that one building has floors collapsed on top of each other, the other has collapsed.
“We don't stop working, we take turns in six-hour shifts,” Kozák said today and also published a video of the activities of Czech firefighters in Turkey on Twitter. According to the spokesman, the Czechs have also created a small group for rapid deployment for the needs of colleagues from other rescue teams in Adiyaman, consisting of a canine and a commander equipped with a slit camera. “This group marked two places with the expected occurrence of living persons. Their rescue will take ten to 20 hours, it will be taken care of by colleagues from the heavy USAR from Algiers,” added Kozák after noon about the situation in Adyiamanu. According to him, teams from Taiwan, Pakistan and Armenia also have bases in the city. Local police officers, the gendarmerie, which is similar to the Czech military police, and volunteers also help.
“The ambassador to Turkey, Pavel Vacek, arrived at our camp today,” Kozák also said. According to the spokesperson, none of the members of the Czech USAR team has been injured yet. “The team has no problems in securing the supply of fuel, water or food,” he added.
The devastating earthquake that hit the border area between Turkey and Syria on Monday claimed over 20,000 lives. In Turkey, according to the authorities, at least 17,134 people have died, the Syrian government and the opposition report at least 3,277 dead. Almost 64,000 people are injured, according to Anadolu Agency, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said in parliament today. Rescue work in Syria, especially in areas controlled by the rebels, is progressing much more slowly than in Turkey due to the lack of equipment.
Among the victims of the earthquake in Turkey is a Czech woman who lived in the country for a long time in Adiyaman province. According to Czech Ambassador Vack, no other Czechs are now among the missing or injured.
The Czech USAR team abroad helped in the past, for example, in Beirut, Lebanon, in 2020 after an explosion in the port, which claimed the lives of two hundred people and injured another 6,000. In addition to firefighters, the Czech team at that time also included cynologists with dogs, a structural engineer and a doctor.
