Thursday 28 / November / 2024
MUSCAT: The National Search and Rescue Team (NSRT) of the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA), which concluded its operations in the quake-hit Turkiye recently managed to rescue scores of people from the rubble and provided life-saving medical aid to more than 30 people during their 15-day mission.
The 46-member team, which was based in the Turkish province of Hatay, also rescued two people alive and recovered six bodies from the debris of buildings during the operations in Antalya, southern Turkiye.
Speaking to Times of Oman, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed bin Hamoud Al Mahmoudi, the team leader, said: “The team carried out many search and rescue operations, provided emergency care to the injured, and found survivors from under the rubble in several locations in Hatay. Despite the challenges we faced, aftershocks from time to time, traffic congestion and bitter cold, our team took exceptional efforts during the mission.”
Al Mahmoudi added: “Our team comprised experts (search and rescue teams, building engineers, specialists in operations, communications, doctors and paramedical personnel.
“We also carried specialised equipment for searching survivors, cameras and audio sensors to survey the collapsed sites and receive signals if any person is found alive under the rubble. We worked closely with the international search and rescue teams in accordance with the requirements of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Board.”
Al Mahmoudi said: “The National Search and Rescue Team is always fully prepared for any emergencies and disasters. The recent rescue mission in Turkiye gave our team new experience to work in such a calamity.”
The Omani team leader said: “We had moments of joy for those that were reunited with families but there’s also grief. It’s an emotional rollercoaster. It’s incredibly difficult to describe. Until you experience it, that’s when you can only validate those feelings.”
The death toll from the devastating earthquakes that recently struck Turkiye and Syria has climbed beyond 50,000 - and left many more people homeless. It has taken a terrible toll on mental health for those caught up in the tragedy, both directly and indirectly.
Following the catastrophic quake on February 6, the Oman rescue mission left for Turkiye on February 8 and returned on February 23 on board the Royal Air Force of Oman flight.
Lieutenant Ali Al Farsi, an official in the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority, who was part of the national search and rescue team, said: “Our mission lasted 15 days. We worked from early morning until midnight in search of survivors, using thermal devices to detect survivors under the rubble. We only slept for a few hours, usually not exceeding five hours. We were praying to God to help us to find survivors.”
Speaking about the ground zero situation, Al Farsi said: “The constant siren of ambulances echoed through the rubble. Aid trucks, bulldozers and volunteers were all stuck in queues of traffic that stretched for miles. It was a state of utter chaos in the freezing cold. We were sleeping in tents as the aftershocks continued till the day we returned to Oman. The cloud of sadness hangs over everyone, with hopes diminishing of survivors as time passes by.”
Al Farsi said: “It is not very easy to recover from the things you have seen. It is traumatic, and very dramatic as well.” He added: “We were their last hope to find their loved ones. On all the streets outside the buildings family members were waiting for news so there was an emotional pressure too.
“Our main aim was to look for people who were still alive in the rubble and rescue them. The devastation out there... is incredible. There were entire streets with collapsed buildings, others on their side.”
Al Farsi said: “I don’t think any training can prepare you for the emotional toll and the damage that we’ve seen. You do feel the pressure to perform. But finding someone was incredible. It’s a really good feeling.
“There were so many people out on the ground... all the locals would come and there would be people everywhere just with anticipation and hope of finding somebody alive.”
Nabil Al Shamli of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Agency (INSARAG) lauded the efforts made by the team from Oman.
“We dealt with one of the best teams in terms of organisation, coordination and professionalism. The team responded to a number of calls of assistance in a record time, aiding in the rescue of a number of people from the rubble and recovering several bodies.
The team has participated in several successful search and rescue missions in Oman and abroad and also been involved in the distribution of aid to the victims of the earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015.
According to recent reports, the operations in Turkiye and Syria have now reached the recovery and rehabilitation stage, with the focus on supporting those affected by the deadly quake.
