He looked at us in the face and started laughing.

Periskopi

10 February 2023, 13:35(3 years ago)

We've been able to identify voices that came from the bottom inside. At first, it has not been clear where they are coming from. With our tools, we've correctly identified the” location. When [the teams] have approached, they have first been able to touch the child's mother, had the child in his hand like that [...]

When [the teams] were approached, they first managed to touch the child's mother, had the child in his hand as the ruins were covered. We've received requests from the mother to save the child. He said: Please, remove the child. Only the child.

So reports to Radio Free Europe the experience of saving a 2-year-old girl in Hatay, Turkey, on February 8th, Egzon Syla, commander of the Kosovo Security Force's rescue-search contingent engaged in Turkey, following the earthquake that hit this country on February 6th.

The most difficult moment says it was hearing voices and calls for help, while the immediate penetrate under the rubble was impossible.

I know someone's waiting for your help and you can't go for it and you can't go right now.

Of course, the happiest moment for all [saving] members here was when the child was out alive, when, if I'm not mistaken, maybe we've done up to 10 hours of research. As you have seen, [the child has been] wrapped in KSF uniform, looked at our members in the face and started laughing. This has been indescribable”, says Syla, 31.

After the girl, the KSF team has also saved her mother, while the father and brother have not survived the earthquake, which has left more than 21,000 people dead in Turkey and Syria.

The KSF contingent, which consists of urban search-saving specialists, medical military personnel and rescue-seeking dogs, has headed to Turkey on the evening of February 6th.

Currently, this container is stationed in Hatay One of the ten most affected cities.

The city is completely destroyed, it's a disaster. We also find it very difficult to communicate with our leaders in Kosovo, because there are no internet or phone waves. Everything's been destroyed. There's no habitable building, or they're completely destroyed, or many”.

The streets are blocked by falling dwellings, people are sleeping in the streets, are lighting fire and standing there. There are beds on the sidewalk that have managed to get them out of dwellings that have not completely collapsed. They've put them on the streets and they're standing there”, Telling Syla.

“They didn't want to leave, as I realized, that they're still waiting for their relatives to be removed from the ruins”, says the commander of the KSF's control for search-for rescue.

Even though there is danger from entering the rubble, Syla says that among the KSF team there is an extremely great will and willingness to provide assistance.

I don't know how to describe it. There's a big will, something that I've been impressed with for good, because it's the first time I've ever been in these kinds of operations. There's will, there's a desire for work, their bravery and other things I've been impressed with”, says Syla.

On February 9th, the KSF contingent has managed to extract only lifeless bodies from the ruins.

Syla says they will continue work, depending on circumstances and requirements.

While experts say that people can survive for a week or more, the chances of finding survivors are getting dim, taking into account the low temperatures in the devastated region.