A woman was rescued from the rubble in Kırıkhan after more than 100 hours. A German emergency doctor involved was celebrated as a hero, but the rescue ended tragically.
Ankara – A few days after the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the extent of the destruction remains elusive. According to the latest information from the authorities, the number of people who lost their lives as a result of the disaster rose to almost 24,000. Several million people are homeless after the earthquake. In such difficult times, even small success stories can help to give those affected in the region some hope again. Videos of rescue cations have been circulating in the media over the past few days. Even several days after the earthquake, buried people are still being rescued alive from the piles of rubble.
Earthquake in Turkey: German helpers get a woman out of the rubble – the rescue ends in tragedy
Turkey is receiving international support to rescue the survivors – including from Germany. A team from ISAR Germany (International Search-and-Rescue) is currently on duty in the city of Kırıkhan. There, the rescuers, together with ISAR Turkey and the rescue dog aid organization BRH Bundesverband, managed to rescue a woman alive from the rubble after more than 100 hours.
In this case, however, the rescue operation ended in the most tragic way possible. How Bild.de reported on Saturday with reference to the woman’s relatives, the 40-year-old died after the rescue operation on Saturday night. As a rescue worker from ISAR Germany explains to the portal, the woman apparently died the so-called “salvage death”. The long time the woman was trapped under the rubble would have eventually led to kidney failure. In addition to the 40-year-old, her husband and three children were also killed in the earthquake.
Earthquake disaster: German rescue workers are trying to save people who have been buried
It still looked like a small miracle in the disaster area on Friday. The rescue workers worked tirelessly to rescue the woman from the rubble. The organization repeatedly shared videos of the operation on Instagram. A reporter from the ARD “Tagesschau” also accompanied the rescue workers on site. The scenes shown seemed downright surreal. Emergency doctor Daniel L. communicated with the buried woman through a hole a few centimeters in size.
Although she was conscious, she was trapped under several meters of concrete. Around them lay the bodies of victims who had also been buried. In the woman’s direct field of vision, her deceased daughter appears to be. During the operation, the rescuers found it difficult to get through to the buried person. They couldn’t risk the pile of rubble collapsing further.
“Don’t be afraid”: German emergency doctor takes care of buried woman
While the experts were looking for an alternative way to get to the woman, emergency doctor Daniel L. did what he could. He kept talking to the woman. Encouraged her to persevere and tried to at least partially take away her fear. The emergency doctor did not get close enough to the victim to provide medical help. But she was supplied with water via a hose. “I’m concentrating now on talking to her, on taking care of her. Because if I can’t get to her, that’s what I can do as a doctor,” the emergency doctor told the ARD “Tagesschau”.
Daniel L. himself also spoke to the buried woman in Turkish. Repeated stoically the Turkish word “korkma” – “don’t be afraid”. He was also supported by an interpreter who had traveled to the crisis area as a volunteer and was able to speak to the woman. The emergency doctor also gave the ARD “Tagesschau” a further impression of the extent of the destruction in the earthquake area. Apparently 40 people lived in the house under the rubble of which the woman lay. So far, only two residents have been rescued alive from the rubble, according to the sobering conclusion of the emergency doctor.
Rescue after more than 100 hours – German helpers celebrated as heroes in Turkey
Then, on Friday morning, there was a glimmer of hope. More than 100 hours after the earthquake, ISAR Germany reports that the rescue workers managed to free the woman alive from the rubble. The woman was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, where, as is now known, she died.
A post by the organization on Instagram contained countless comments celebrating the rescuers as heroes. Above all, emergency doctor Daniel L. is celebrated in countless comments and showered with thanks because of his calm, uplifting manner – in German and Turkish. Various Turkish media report on the German emergency doctor and praise him for his work, and various users on Twitter also expressed their gratitude under the #korkma.
The rescue operation shows once again how close together joy and sadness are in the disaster area. Even if the probability of finding more survivors decreases with each hour, the countless helpers continue to work to help the people on the ground. In the social media, many users repeatedly quote a passage from the Koran. “And whoever saves a man’s life, it is as if he had saved all of mankind!” (fd)
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