A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey last Monday (6th). A rescue team of 59 members sent by the Hong Kong government arrived in Hong Kong late at night on Friday (17th).
One of the members of the rescue team, firefighter Wen Fa, saw his wife who had not seen him for 8 days and his 10-month-old son pick him up at the airport. He couldn't help crying and kissed his son.
He said that he "didn't sleep well" in the local area, and the first thing he wanted to do after returning home was to take a shower and get a good night's sleep.
Hong Kong Rescue Commander Yu Wenyang said that any scene at the disaster site is dangerous and thrilling. Coupled with the continuous aftershocks, the search and rescue work has certain dangers. 4 survivors.
The temperature difference in Turkey is "very poor" and the rescue has never taken a bath for many days
Mrs. Wenfa brought her 10-month-old son to pick them up at the airport. When Wenfa saw them, she took off her mask, waved to her son, and hugged her wife.
He watched his son say a few words, saw his lovely face filled with tears, took out a tissue and gently wiped away the tears, and kissed his son's forehead.
Wen Fa said that after returning to Hong Kong, he wanted to "take a shower" the most, because he had been rescued there for many days and had never taken a shower. He also mentioned that the temperature in Turkey is very different from Hong Kong, and he is not used to it. It was frosty weather, and the towels outside were also frozen.
I hope to go back to my own bed and take a comfortable shower and sleep.
Rescue team firefighter Wen Fa
He admitted frankly that after receiving the phone call and knowing that he was going to rescue, he was most worried about his family. Fortunately, he had the support of his family and his wife, so he could rescue with peace of mind. He also described that he felt very shocked when he rescued the survivors.
Hong Kong Rescue Team Commander Yu Wenyang (middle) said that the local rescue encountered many difficulties and finally rescued four survivors.
(Photo by Chen Baolin)
Rescue Team Commander: Continuous Aftershocks Make Search and Rescue Work Dangerous
Yu Wenyang, commander of the Hong Kong rescue team, said that the rescue operation has encountered many difficulties, including severe damage to local roads, unstable communications, and continuous aftershocks, making the search and rescue work somewhat dangerous.
In addition, the local weather is very unstable. It is about 5 degrees during the day, and the temperature drops below zero after nightfall. Rescue team members have to sleep outdoors. The language barrier and shortage of supplies make the rescue operation difficult.
4 people rescued from the rubble and survived: try to save every life
However, Yu Wenyang said that the team members will try their best to save every life as long as there is any opportunity. During the rescue operation, which lasted about 8 days, 10 residents trapped under the rubble were rescued, including 4 survivors. , but said frankly: "I don't think our results are good", "We have always tried our best to save every life whenever we have the opportunity."
He pointed out that any scene at the disaster site is dangerous and thrilling. Almost all the buildings in the entire city have collapsed and tilted. The rescue team is professional in doing support and reinforcement works without affecting the building environment, and then digging rescue tunnels to search and rescue the injured. .
▼On February 17, the government welcomes the Turkish rescue team to Hong Kong▼
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Search and rescue dogs serve as "vanguard" to initially search for survivors
As for the two search and rescue dogs, they are the "vanguard" of the rescue operation. If the rescue team believes that there are survivors at the scene, they will first send search dogs to conduct a preliminary search. After confirming the existence of survivors, the rescue team will use life detectors to confirm The depth of the survivor's position from the ground.
Yu Wenyang said that this experience taught them a "valuable lesson" and that they will formulate rescue strategies in the future, hoping to improve overseas rescue capabilities.
He continued to point out that this time he cooperated with the national rescue team to participate in the rescue work and received support and advice on food, transportation, communication, and action strategies. The biggest benefit is that he can work with a rescue team that has experience in disaster handling and has been recognized internationally. No matter how much experience we have gained in setting up camps, collecting intelligence, and cooperating with the International Rescue Coordination Center, we hope to cooperate and learn more with the national rescue team in the future, so as to enhance the ability of the SAR rescue team to carry out long-term rescue work in other places.
Yu Wenyang thanked the family members of the rescue team members, so that the team members have no worries and can do the rescue work wholeheartedly.
"How about going to the other side of the world, an unfamiliar place to carry out rescue work, everyone will foresee that there will be certain dangers, and the family members will not worry at all? But they did not stop us and fully supported us. Let's use our expertise to help us take care of our families."
▼Hong Kong 60-person search and rescue team went to the earthquake-stricken area in Turkey for rescue▼
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▼Hong Kong 60-person search and rescue team went to the earthquake-stricken area in Turkey for rescue▼
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▼A magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in Turkey on February 6▼
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Turkey Earthquake｜Hong Kong Search and Rescue Team Returned to Beijing on Friday Chen Guoji led a delegation northward to meet the Turkey Earthquake︱The Civil Affairs Office sent supplies to the collection point and urged citizens to participate in follow-up donations Turkey Earthquake︱Hong Kong SAR rescue team rescued three survivors on Saturday. Continue to Turkey Earthquake︱MSF provides medical and material support to promote international attention Humanitarian Corridor Turkey Earthquake｜Fire Chief tells the team members to call their families every day to report: return safely