Turkey Earthquake Rescue Efforts: Love from China over Thousands of Miles and Dozens of Hours

BEIJING, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on China's rescue efforts in Turkey earthquake:

After being trapped for about 178 hours, a 10-year-old Turkish girl was salvaged from the ruins by the Chinese rescue team. People cheered and applauded; some couldn't help petting the girl despite their dirt-covered gloves.

Confronting a natural disaster, instinctive gentleness is always touching.

At local time Feb. 6^th, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, followed by multiple aftershocks. By Feb. 15^th, the death toll had surpassed 37,000.

To seize the golden time window, rescue teams worked day and night through the relics. The darkness of the nights, however, made rescue efforts even more challenging, slowing the progress. At this moment, a "star" slowly rose into the sky, lighting the whole site up, providing necessary light for people's activities and buying more time for the rescue. The "star", which lit up 8,000m², was actually a lighting drone produced by a company in Zhejiang province, China. During the rescue, over 10 drones have taken to the skies, all provided free of charge, dispersing the darkness and despair of the earthquake.

Till now, "the golden 72 hours" have passed. Why is the rescue still going on? A vice team director of China's Blue Sky Rescue said: "In larger cities, there are more supermarkets, which means water and food supplies. The buildings have more floors, more basements, so there might be narrow spaces. When buildings have not completely collapsed, there may still be chances of survival." He said, now that they are here, they won't give up until the very end.

Keep searching, even when there is only the slightest hope.

Such efforts were also appreciated by local people. Yang Zhijian, a rescue team member from Chongqing shared his experience on WeChat moments: When he was buying food from a local store, the owner refused to take his money. With the help of an interpreter, Yang told the owner: "If you don't take the money, I won't accept the food. We don't take things for free in our hometown China, let alone here. I insist on paying the price and taking nothing for free." As the owner requested, they took a photo together instead.

There are many more touching moments. A Turkish lady unbuttoned her coat to warm the hands of a Chinese rescue team member; an elderly brought a home-fed pigeon and gave it to Chinese team members as a gift; a man brought doughnuts for the teams......Gestures of gratitude were displayed to these Chinese who travelled far to lend a helping hand --"You have done a lot for us, and this is our way to say thank you."

While disasters occur only in certain places, emotions like sympathy, care, and gratitude travel across borders and races, bringing warmth to the whole world.

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

Turkey Earthquake Rescue Efforts: Love from China over Thousands of Miles and Dozens of Hours
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2023-02/24/content_85125613.htm 

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