The Turkish rescue teams from AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Agency) and TSK-DAK (Turkish Armed Forces Natural Disaster Search and Rescue Team) who were deployed to Venezuela following the earthquakes that struck the country on 24 June, have returned to Turkey, surprised and grateful for the expressions of affection they received from the Venezuelan people whilst working in the disaster zone to search for survivors and deliver humanitarian aid.
Following the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 that shook the country on 24 June, leaving more than 4,500 dead, Türkiye immediately sent several aircraft carrying humanitarian aid as well as search and rescue teams. Now, having completed their work in the region, a Turkish military A400M transport aircraft landed in the early hours of yesterday morning at Mürted airfield, on the outskirts of Ankara, bringing back the Turkish teams that took part in the emergency operation.
“The Venezuelan people welcomed us with open arms”
In statements reported by Turkish newspapers such as Cumhuriyet, Infantry Major Yener Çamurlu, one of those who took part in the relief effort in the area affected by the earthquake, emphasised the importance of a relief mission carried out thousands of kilometres from Turkey. “The earthquakes in Venezuela deeply saddened us all. We’re talking about a distance of 12,000 kilometres.”
“We are very happy to have brought aid and support to the Venezuelan people. Our personnel and our specialised equipment were invaluable in the wake of the disaster. We did a great job there. At the same time, we not only took part in our own operations, but also supported search and rescue teams from other countries with our wall-penetrating radars, manufactured in Turkey. (Rescuers from other countries) received a great deal of support from us in that regard,” said Çamurlu, who also added that “the Venezuelan people welcomed us with open arms. We helped as much as we could”.
Regarding the Venezuelan Heroes’ Medal awarded to the Turkish contingent, as well as to other countries, by the Venezuelan government for their participation in rescue and relief efforts following the earthquakes, Çamurlu expressed great surprise: “Honestly, we didn’t expect anything like this. This is simply part of our daily duty. The Turkish people and the Republic of Turkey always stand by the oppressed and always offer assistance. In that context, we carried out our duty to the best of our ability. We were delighted to receive this recognition. They even awarded medals to our dogs”.
“I will never forget the Turkish rescue teams”
For his part, Turkish Sergeant Major Oktay Türkay explained that the rescue operations began immediately upon landing in the country and that the Turkish teams sprang into action even before setting up camp. “We arrived in Venezuela after a long journey. Even before setting up our camp, we split into two groups with our colleagues and took part in search and rescue operations in 12-hour shifts,” he explained.
“The Venezuelan people gave us the nickname ‘The Turks who never tire’ because of our efforts. That filled us with pride,” said Türkay. “The affection shown to us by the local people whilst we were working was also very heart-warming. I believe that this bond forged with Venezuela creates a bond of brotherhood that goes beyond relations between states.”
On 6 February 2023, Turkey suffered two terrible earthquakes that left more than 53,000 dead and caused massive devastation across eleven provinces in the south-east of the country, reducing hundreds of thousands of homes, dozens of hospitals and historical heritage sites of incalculable value to rubble, and leaving 1.5 million people homeless. With an economic cost exceeding $100,000 million – equivalent to 10% of Turkey’s GDP – it was described as the worst seismic disaster in a century.
That tragedy put the capabilities of Turkish emergency teams such as AFAD to the test and provided valuable experience in dealing with this type of disaster. In recent weeks, several accounts of the tireless work carried out by Turkish rescuers have gone viral on social media, such as the words of a Venezuelan citizen who observed the search and rescue efforts of the teams that had travelled to Venezuela from Turkey to provide assistance following the earthquakes: “The Turks work in a completely different way. We didn’t see them sleep all night; they worked non-stop. We didn’t even see them eat. I’ll never forget them for the rest of my life.”
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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