The Portuguese team in Antakya has not yet found anyone alive in what is one of the cities most affected by the earthquake, but hopes that “it will never die” until the time of demobilization, guarantees the mission commander.
“Unfortunately, we have not yet found anyone alive. We have already seen many dead, but the goal is to find someone alive and rescue them,” the commander of the Portuguese operation on the ground, José Guilherme, told Lusa.
There are 52 Civil Protection, GNR and EMS operators on site, including six dogs, divided into two teams working around 12-hour shifts, working 24 hours a day in support of search and rescue efforts, from the The day he arrived, Wednesday, Antakya, in the southeast of Turkey.
The days go by and “the window of time is getting closer and closer, but the hope in these teams will never die”, assures José Guilherme.
“Until the moment of demobilization, we will always believe that we can find someone alive,” he stressed, stressing, however, that, given the days that have passed, finding a person alive, among the rubble, will be ” a miracle”.
Filipe Rocha, head of the team that worked in the center of Antáquia in the morning, admits that the work “is frustrating”, however, he also maintains the same hope as his commander.
“We are doing our best and, although six days have passed, we are sure that we will still save someone,” he stressed.
On the ground, operators use ‘drones’ to map the affected area and pinpoint particularly critical buildings, while other professionals search the ruins for possible survivors, using dogs, which are trained to spot signs of life among the rubble.
Although Commander José Guilherme admitted that the job is “dishonorable,” it is “a very honorable job.”
“These teams have committed to what their skills, valence and professionalism are,” he stressed.
For José Guilherme, the work of the Portuguese operatives has been marked by “commitment, availability and selflessness”.
“The Portuguese people should be proud of these professionals,” added the commander.
Source: TSF
