The corrosive smell of corpses, smoke from improvised campfires and puffed up dust fill your nostrils as you enter the city of Hatay in southeastern Turkey. It has become a city of the dead, as the locals now describe it, as few survivors can be found under the rubble.
Some corpses lie wrapped in plastic bags in the streets of the city. The reason for this is also the large-scale evacuation campaign in the city by the Turkish authorities. The red-white-red helpers remain in base camp on the fifth day due to the deteriorating security situation, but remain on standby. Especially since there was another aftershock in the region on Saturday night.
Major: “Successful missions completely outweigh the hardships”
You will still be on site with heavy equipment until Thursday, but the situation is becoming increasingly sobering, according to the army and the mountain rescue service. The commander of “Kamp Austria”, Major Bernhard Lindenberg, makes an initial assessment despite all the setbacks: “The photo on site is very stressful for all comrades. Mothers freeze in the cold with their children and cling to their last belongings. However, the nine successful rescue missions so far far outweigh all the hardships, we are glad we helped,” the father of the family told the “Krone”.
However, after the situation briefing at 07:00 sharp, they were informed of the state of emergency, including intensive military operations. In any case, gratitude can be felt everywhere, alongside despair, chaos and sadness. Piyer, an inspector in Budapest, also does not give up the search for his mother: my mother is still under the rubble, she still wanted to save her five cats. “I pray to God that he will make a miracle happen,” the emigrant said with tears in his eyes.
However, Syrian refugees Khaled and his wife Myriam survived. The two were just praying when the catastrophe took its course. “I got hit on the head, but we were the first to go. Our neighbors are all dead.”
Corpses must be protected from looters
Honorary consul Mehmet Kiliclar is also one of the helpers, but solidarity is limited: “In the night there was looting and shooting again. The police even have to guard the bodies,” explains Kiliclar. Nobody knows what will happen next, the security situation is getting worse…
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
