Int'l rescue teams find friend in need in Turkish volunteer

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ADANA, Türkiye (AA) – Donning an Indonesian cap and wearing a brooch gifted by a Chinese rescue team, an international cargo inspector in Türkiye's Adana province is the go-to person for international search and rescue teams in the earthquake-hit region.

“Good afternoon, everything arrived well to Barcelona airport,” Mehmet Baykan shows a message he received after shipping forgotten cargo of one such team from Spain.

“Thank you very much for your help,” the message ends with a heart emoticon.

Baykan, 50, has been in international cargo services for the past 16 years. Since last year, he has been volunteering with Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

“Our work is humanitarian,” Baykan told Anadolu outside Adana Airport where hundreds of international search and rescue team members have gathered.

Dubbed as the worst earthquakes of the 21st century, the twin tremors were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces -- Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Türkiye issued a level-4 alert, calling in international aid.

Around 100 countries have offered assistance so far, with many having sent rescue teams.

Over 9,000 international search and rescue personnel flew into Türkiye after the quakes-hit the southern provinces. These teams brought along hundreds of tons of search and rescue tools and equipment besides sniffer dogs.

- ‘Thank you messages from around the world’

With his broken English, Baykan is ready to help the non-Turkish teams. His phone is filled with contact numbers of translators.

“I have made friends from across the world. They are sending thank you messages, inviting me to their countries, promising VIP protocol,” Baykan said, as he helped a German aid team.

“You are really a good person. May Allah bless you with His divine blessings. When you come to Pakistan, plz (please) tell me… you will be our VIP guest,” Baykan shows another message from a Pakistani team who flew into Turkiye to aid post-quake search and rescue operations.

Baykan has been on the road since Feb. 6 – the fateful day when the twin earthquakes caused widespread damages in southern Türkiye.

“For the first three days, I was with another 255 volunteers” at the AFAD Adana camp, he said.

Given his experience in handling international cargo, Baykan was soon deployed to Adana Airport, which has turned into a center of international arrivals and exit for non-Turkish rescuers, to help with necessary logistics support.

- 'Time for work'

Baykan also helped incoming and outgoing teams with hotels and cars.

Among those he helped collect their “forgotten” cargo or arrange flights, hotels and cars include UN teams from Mexico, Indonesia, Singapore, and Pakistan.

“Thank you for your help. Please go (and) meet your family,” Baykan is told by another international team in a WhatsApp message.

“I have slept little these days… this is time for work,” Baykan said, as he showed a brooch gifted to him by a Chinese volunteer team.

At least 42,310 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6. Thousands of others were injured.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said the quakes, centered in Pazarcik and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaras province, were followed by 7,184 aftershocks.

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

A total of 14,740 local and international search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, it added.

The teams have set up tent and container cities in the earthquake zone as well as mobile health clinics to provide psychological support to the victims.

Separately, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced at a press briefing that at least six people were killed and 562 others wounded with 18 in critical condition after a fresh earthquake jolted Türkiye’s southernmost province of Hatay late Monday.​​​​​​​