By Ihvan Radoykov
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AA) - Bulgarian rescuers, who returned to their country from the quake-hit southern Türkiye, regretted not saving more lives.
“The Turkish people consider us 'heroes'. No, we're not heroes, we're humble ordinary people. And we're sorry we haven't been able to save more lives,” Yasen Tzvetkov, the head of the National Association of Volunteers in the Republic of Bulgaria (NADRB), told Anadolu.
Tzvetkov and his team were hosted by the Turkish ambassador to Bulgaria Aylin Sekizkok at her residence.
“It was an honor for us to fulfill this duty and we are always ready to help. Hundreds of ordinary citizens sent us donations in the first hours of the disaster. Thanks to these donations, our teams were able to set out immediately,” Tzvetkov said.
He said two teams -- each having 20 rescuers –- took part in rescue efforts in Antakya and Hatay regions.
Noting that they pulled 31 people out of the rubble alive in seven days, he said this was their first mission abroad.
“When our pain and tears ease a little, we will be more productive if we conduct joint training and exercises with our Turkish friends so that we can be better prepared for such natural disasters,” he added.
The Turkish police, gendarmerie, and local people gave us tremendous support, he said.
“…We did what we had to do. Although we are now in Bulgaria, our hearts are with the people in Türkiye,” said another rescuer, who asked not to be named.
At least 38,044 people were killed by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country's disaster agency said early Friday.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes 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.
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.
*Writing by Gozde Bayar and Anna Cecilia Canatan