Dutch rescue team 'grateful' to help in quake-hit Türkiye

'Hopefully, we can come back in better days within a few years,' says Dutch rescuer

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

HATAY, Türkiye (AA) - The Dutch rescue team in southern Türkiye is "grateful" to be in Hatay, one of the 11 provinces hit hard by two back-to-back earthquakes last week, bringing much-needed help to devastated locals.

Having completed their mission in the earthquake zone, Dutch rescuer Rodney Sebregts spoke to Anadolu at the airport serving the province before boarding a return flight to his country.

Sebregts, who is a member of the Cooperating Searchdog Teams of the Netherlands, said the search and rescue operation had elicited a "big mix of emotions" for him.

"But also, we're grateful that we can be here and give this little bit of help. But so much help is needed. It's been tough," he said.

Underscoring that his team assisted in the rescue of several people, mainly with the help of their search and rescue dogs, he said: "Luckily we found some survivors."

"Obviously, they cannot always find living people," he added, noting that many of the survivors had been dug out by international Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams in the area.

- Hospitality

Sebregts said that he and his team had received help and support in the field from local people and Turkish diplomatic officials, including in the evening hours, with food and equipment.

"We were really impressed by the hospitality," he said. "The hospitality and the mindset has been really, really good. Thank you very much for that, we're happy to be helpful."

"Hopefully, we can come back in better days within a few years."

Sebregts said his group of 28 volunteers arrived in Türkiye on Saturday. While he is leaving, his group will continue their efforts in the disaster zone.

At least 36,187 people were killed by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye last week, the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said on Thursday.

The Feb. 6 magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.

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