Firefighters from across the UK, many of them FBU members, were deployed to assist rescue operations as part of UK International Search and Rescue (UKISAR) after a devastating earthquake struck southern and central Turkey, as well as northern and western Syria on 6 February.
Tracy Doyle, FBU LGBT+ rep for the South East, was part of the UKISAR team in Hatay, Antakya:
The catastrophic devastation of a whole city being razed to the ground is very hard to take in. Every road and all buildings were damaged.
“It was heart-breaking seeing families waiting on the pavements outside what would have been their family homes, waiting for news on a relative or loved ones that may still be alive.”
Eight people were rescued alive by UKISAR, and three further live rescues were conducted by partner teams following identification by search dogs.
Volunteer interpreters from Hatay were of “enormous help” to the team. The death toll in Turkey and Syria stood at 46,000 as Firefighter went to press, with many more thousands injured.
