Venezuelan and Turkish emergency responders recognize the solidarity of the Venezuelan people assisting them after the earthquake. Photo: Twitter/@madeleintlsur.
Turkish rescuers thanked Venezuela with a gift of the national flag of Türkiye bestowed on the Venezuelan brigade members of the Simón Bolívar Humanitarian Task Force who aided in the search and rescue efforts in the city of Adiyaman, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria a week ago.
This was confirmed by Madelein García, a Telesur correspondent, who traveled with the Venezuelan humanitarian task force to learn about the disaster through journalistic tours in the area.
“This is how we tell it,” commented one of the Venezuelan brigade members. “We were right at that moment, when the rescue team from Türkiye handed over the flag to the rescue team from Venezuela. They do not give up their flag, they die for it, but they gave the flag to the Venezuelans as a symbol of brotherhood.”
The gesture of the Turkish rescuers to the Venezuelans occurs one week after the devastating earthquakes, which to date have claimed more than 30,000 lives, and also produced inspiring stories of survival, with more than a thousand rescued from the rubble. A few hour after the gesture of acknowledgement, the Venezuelan emergency response crew helped rescue a woman, with the help of a crew from China, who had been trapped for more than a week.
Venezuela Sends Rescuers & Humanitarian Aid to Türkiye and Syria After Earthquake
In the city of Adiyaman, more than 3,000 buildings collapsed and the rescue forces of various nations, including Venezuela, continue to try locating possible survivors.
Venezuela deployed a canine task force specialized in detecting trapped people by their scent. These dogs are with the Simón Bolívar Humanitarian Task Force.
2, “somos la esperanza debajo entre los escombros” esto dijo Jorge el entrenador de #tsunami uno de los 3 caninos que integran la Fuerza de Tarea Humanitaria de #Venezuela, sobre el gesto de haberles entregado la bandera de #türkiye. pic.twitter.com/Sv4FtD1QvC
— Madelein Garcia (@madeleintlSUR) February 12, 2023
Similarly, Civil Protection brigade members were involved in the rescue operations, removing rubble to find survivors.
For her part, one of women workers of the Simón Bolívar Humanitarian Task Force spoke of the force’s unity with the workers from other countries that continue searching for survivors of the earthquake.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
