Turkiye earthquake: Removing body of pregnant woman a heartbreaking experience for firefighter

KANGAR: Removing the body of a pregnant woman from the rubble of the Turkiye earthquake that destroyed a residential building in Nurdagi, Gaziantep remains a heartbreaking and unforgettable moment for a firefighter.

Senior Fire Officer II Mohamad Shahidan Abd Razat, 34, who had just reported for duty at the Perlis Fire and Rescue Department was among 140 selected for the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) that was sent for the search and rescue (SAR) mission after a massive earthquake struck Turkiye in early February.

Relating his experience during the SAR operation, the father of four said he was saddened to see a husband crying uncontrollably after the rescue team pulled out the body of his pregnant wife from the rubble.

"The husband had earlier asked permission from the rescue team to see his wife for the last time but he could not control his emotion and cried,” he told reporters when met at the Perlis Fire and Rescue Department annual assembly here today (Feb 27).

He said that was one experience which was difficult for him to erase from his memory despite having participated in numerous SAR missions including the rescue operation to save victims of the Father's Organic Farm camping site landslide incident in Gohtong Jaya, Batang Kali on Dec 16.

"Despite being a trained rescuer, I have to admit I was affected by the situation. I am also a professional and must not allow feelings to take over and affect our task,” he said.

A member of the Perlis Fire and Rescue Department for the past 15 years, the Kuala Kangsar-born firefighter said the biggest challenge he faced in Turkiye was having to battle the extreme cold weather and hunger.

"Imagine the temperature was between four and six degrees Celsius at noon and dropped drastically to between minus 10 and minus 12 degrees Celsius at night. But that did not break our spirit to help the victims,” he said.

He also said the Smart Malaysia team was respected by other national teams for tracking down many victims.

"The locals were very appreciative and were sharing their food like bread despite the disaster,” said Mohamad Shahidan who was in the disaster-struck country for 16 days from Feb 8.

He added that Smart Malaysia successfully pulled out 50 earthquake victims from collapsed buildings and out of that figure, five were still alive. - Bernama