Won Do-Yeon and his team of 121 members swiftly arrived in Turkey following last year's catastrophic earthquakes, rescuing 8 individuals from the debris. "Learning how a building, originally standing six to eight stories tall, collapsed like a pancake, left me speechless," says Won. When twin devastating earthquakes shook southern Turkey last year, Won Do-Yeon and his disaster response team rushed to aid in the relief efforts in a region comparable in size to their home country, South Korea.
Won, leading South Korea's 121-member search and rescue team, was taken aback by the scene that awaited them upon their arrival at Gaziantep Airport. While they anticipated some buildings would have collapsed, the scale of destruction exceeded their expectations.
"We had hoped that the fundamental structure of the city would remain intact, but the sight of complete devastation was beyond comprehension. Although I've encountered various situations before, witnessing such devastation was unprecedented for me," he told Anadolu in an interview.
Operating their search and rescue missions in Hatay province after the earthquakes on February 6, dubbed the "disaster of the century," Won and his team managed to save eight individuals trapped under rubble.
"We made every effort to make prompt decisions with the intention of aiding our brotherly country in the best possible manner," said Won, who also heads the Development Cooperation Bureau of South Korea's Foreign Ministry.
He highlighted that upon learning of the earthquakes, South Korea promptly dispatched aid and began preparations to send a team to Turkey, a nation with which Seoul has maintained strong ties since the Korean War.
"In particular, we executed our fastest aid operation to date by utilizing a KC-330 military transport aircraft. This allowed us to commence rescue operations on-site within the crucial first 72 hours, often referred to as the golden hours."
Stressing that his team has previously participated in 17 international rescue operations, he underscored the pivotal role played by their four rescue dogs - Toba, Tina, Tori, and Haetae - in locating survivors during the search and rescue efforts.
8 lives saved
On the third day, Won recounted, his team managed to save three lives despite diminishing hopes as the golden hours elapsed.
"In collaboration with our Turkish counterparts, our team identified signs of survivors during search operations and painstakingly cleared debris from a collapsed building, from its roof to the ground floor, hour by hour.
"With the dedicated efforts of our personnel and the warm support of Turkish authorities and the local community, we rescued a total of eight precious lives," he said.
Won acknowledged that it was impossible to save everyone and that even after rescuing survivors, witnessing the deceased had a profound impact on everyone.
He recalled the support his team received from many within the earthquake-stricken area. While some chanted, "Koreans are top-notch," others provided the team with food and blankets.
'It was unprecedented for me, despite my prior experiences'
Won noted that the airport and its vicinity had suffered relatively minimal damage from the earthquake, leading them to anticipate only a few collapsed buildings in the area before realizing the true extent of the devastation.
"The tragedy and grief deeply affected us as we confronted the collapse of a place where people lived. Although I've encountered various situations before, witnessing such devastation was unprecedented for me.
"Hearing how a building, originally standing six to eight stories tall, collapsed like a pancake, left me speechless. Reflecting on the fate of those residing in that building fills me with immense sadness," he recounted.
Won also expressed gratitude to citizens for their local support during search and rescue operations.
"I felt both sorrow and a sense of responsibility. Despite knowing our team did everything possible to save more lives, I couldn't help but feel saddened and distressed, wondering if we could have done more.
"Last August, we established temporary shelter sites and maintained local communication networks, demonstrating a deep commitment to the recovery process. We will continue to strive to be a more effective emergency relief team for our friends in need," he added.
A total of 53,537 people perished in the earthquakes of February 6, 2023, in southern Turkey, while over 107,000 others were injured.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck 11 Turkish provinces - Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.
More than 14 million people were affected in Turkey, along with many others in northern Syria.
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