Balkans | The Kosovo search and rescue team told what they experienced in the earthquake zone

“We were surprised by the great solidarity of the Turkish people coming from all sides, from east to west of Turkey,” said Fazil Buchkuli, a veteran of the KLA, FSK soldiers who participated in search and rescue efforts in earthquake-affected areas. He said.

Kosovar search and rescue teams returned home on February 20 after working in Hatay for nearly two weeks.

The soldiers told the APS reporter about their experience and the work they did in the earthquake zone.

FSK unit commander Egon Sylla, who went to Turkey, said he graduated from the Turkish Military Academy in Turkey and that his knowledge of the Turkish language helped coordinate search and rescue operations with Turkish authorities.

She pulled a two-year-old girl and her mother out of the rubble alive, Sila said, “After about 10 hours of work, we were able to get the girl out first. This was also the wish of the mother, and she asked us to get her daughter out first, because she was not thinking of herself. We took the girl alive, then we went ahead and took her mother out as well. It was an indescribable moment and a special feeling.” Use phrases.

Sela stated that they were able to detect the acoustic signals of the mother and daughter under the rubble thanks to special search and rescue tools. Referring to the cooperation they provided with the Turkish authorities during the search and rescue efforts, Sela said, “They have always been with us for our requests.” He rated it.

Seeing that girl gave me strength.

Rizarta Mololi, who works as a nurse, also mentioned that they never thought about the risks they might face when they went to Turkey, and they are very proud of their ability to help people.

Mololi said he didn’t think he’d have the opportunity to be more proud of the moments he saved people’s lives in Turkey, using the following phrases:

“Especially when a two-year-old girl was taken out, it was the best feeling to be rid of five floors of a building on her body and take turns looking at our staff as we left. To have someone who is stronger than me because seeing that girl gave me strength and said I will continue as long as I can anyway.”

Excavator operator rescued 3 people from the rubble, leaving his family under the rubble

Fazil Bochkuli, head of the Kosovo Foundation for Kosovo Orphans and also a veteran of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK), said he knows the support given by the Turkish people during and after the Kosovo war, and that he went to the region voluntarily to take part in the works after seeing the impact of the earthquake.

They stated that they had taken 8 students from Kosovo studying in Turkey with them, and participated in activities that needed volunteers, such as delivering food in the earthquake zone, and said, “As a veteran of the Kosovo Liberation Army, I felt compelled to join the Aid Federation in Turkey. We stayed.” For 5 days in 3 cities we visited in Turkey (in the earthquake zone). There were 10 people in our team, 8 of whom were students studying in Turkey. When we went to Hatay, we were surprised by the great solidarity of the Turkish people coming from all parts of Turkey from east to west ” . Use phrases.

Describing the sacrifice an excavator worker witnessed in the quake zone, Bochkuli said:

“While I was in Adiyaman, I witnessed an event that I will never forget. The search and rescue teams saw that no one had a chance to survive there, but the rig worker’s family was there. The order was given to go to the other building because the voices of the people living below could be heard. rubble, left his family and rescued the three people trapped under the rubble, probably after 80-90 hours.”

Bochkuli also stated that he passed the financial assistance they had collected with benefactors who had heard they were going to the earthquake zone from Kosovo to the Humanitarian Relief Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms (IHH) to be used for the earthquake victims.

The Government of Kosovo sent an FSK unit, consisting of 36 soldiers, to Turkey on 6 February to support the international humanitarian aid operation in Turkey, 6 personnel from the Kosovo Search and Rescue Society on 9 February and 3 additional personnel on 10 February.

FSK soldiers managed to pull out a two-year-old girl and her mother from the rubble in Hatay on February 8, and a 45-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl on February 12.

On February 21, Kosovo President Fyuza Osmani presented the Presidential Military Medal to the FSK soldiers who returned to Kosovo after completing the search and rescue activities they participated in in Hatay.

AA