QUAKE RELIEF

A FIREFIGHTER from Mallorca has joined a specialist response team and is digging through the rubble to help rescue victims of the Turkish earthquake disaster.

Palma-based Toni Jaume, 42, hooked with the International Natural Disaster Rescue Group (GIREcan) and flew to Turkey within three days of the disaster striking.

The 17-year veteran of the service takes part every year in special practice drills with GIREcan members.

Toni said: “My love for this work led me to make this decision to go over to Turkey”.

“We are

Mallorcan firefighter on ground in Turkey in search for survivors

By Alex Trelinski

a multidisciplinary team of 15 people made up of firefighters, doctors, nurses, architects and a communications officer,” he added.

It’s not Toni’s first humanitarian mission, as back in 2007 he went to Pisco in Peru to deal with the aftermath of an earthquake.

Epicentre

The GIREcan team flew into Adana airport via Istanbul on Wednesday and reported to a United Nations office there.

“After several hours of waiting we chartered a coach to go on a six hour journey close to the epicentre of the earthquake in Gaziantep province,” explained Toni.

On arriving and witnessing the dev- astation, Toni commented: “There is no hotel, there is no wi-fi, almost everything is collapsed and communications are going to be difficult.”

“The chances of people being alive since the earthquake is decreasing,” he observed.

His is not the only Spanish team desperately searching for survivors.

A specialist response team from Valencia is also digging through the rubble. The firefighting unit flew to Istanbul within hours of the devastating quake and were joined on the same flight by celebrity chef Jose Andres.

The founder of World Central Kitchen - who is setting up a kitchen in the affected area - stated he was ‘proud' to see so much help from Spain.

The 15 members of Valencia’s Emergencies and Catastrophes Rescue Unit are working with sniffer dogs in Adana, near the epicenter of the quake. The team has experience of working in areas with collapsed buildings and will aid in finding victims. They have linked up with volunteers from the Valencian IAE charity.

By yesterday the death toll from the disaster had surpassed 16,000.

Search dogs from both Spanish teams are being deployed along with specialist equipment including cameras to detect people who are under the rubble.

Firefighters have also brought vital health and medical supplies with them.

Spain is also sending amphibious assault ship Juan Carlos and a landing platform dock laden with emergency supplies.

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