On the morning of Feb 16, HUMAN IN LOVE Emergency Rescue Team continued to work on search and rescue in Antakya in collaboration with the On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Turkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı, AFAD).
We were dispatched to an apartment complex, which had been reduced to rubble. The earthquake, which took place in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep, took many people’s lives.
We conducted search activities in collaboration with the heavy equipment team under Turkiye’s Emergency Management Presidency. They put rubbles away and we searched.
Finally, we found two victims. We really hoped they were alive, but unfortunately, they already passed away.We carefully collected the bodies and returned them to their families, and we found one more victim in another room, whom we sent to his family too.
The bereaved family who was holding onto hope behind the rubble of the apartment started sobbing, and we were saddened and heartbroken to hear them crying.After morning search and rescue were done, we gathered our selves and started afternoon work.
”If you are alive, please hold on a little longer…”
We sincerely hope that we can reach out to those who are holding onto hope and that they can give us even a little signal for rescue.
※ HUMAN IN LOVE Emergency Rescue Team is Korea’s only private emergency relief organization that complies with the guidelines of INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group).
