Greek search and rescue expert who witnessed the "disaster of the century" describes his earthquake experience

Konstandinos Nikas, a member of the Greek search and rescue team that rushed to Türkiye to help in the Kahramanmaraş-centred earthquakes, told AA correspondent about the search and rescue operations in Hatay.

Konstandinos Nikas, a member of the Greek search and rescue team that rushed to Türkiye to help in the earthquakes centred in Kahramanmaraş, emphasised the importance of the readiness of the two peoples to help each other, stating that despite the one year that has passed since the earthquake disaster, the embrace of the people in Türkiye and the solidarity between the two peoples are still in his mind.

Nikas from Greece's Special Disaster Response Unit (EMAK), who participated in the search and rescue operations in Hatay after the Kahramanmaraş-centred earthquakes that occurred on 6 February 2023, which were described as the "disaster of the century" and enabled 5 people to come out of the rubble alive, told AA correspondent about the search and rescue operations in Hatay as a personal and professional experience.

Nikas, a member of EMAK, which operates under the umbrella of the fire brigade, said that a year later, the scale of the disaster is still fresh in his mind, pointing out that the earthquake was very large in area and very powerful in scale.

Nikas stated that he had encountered earthquakes many times before due to his profession and said, "However, this (earthquakes) was an unprecedented situation both in terms of its magnitude and the people lost."

An example of solidarity between two peoples

Stating that the people they helped are still in their memories, Nikas said that he could not forget how the people welcomed them in Türkiye and how they embraced them.

Nikas pointed out that both Türkiye and Greece are located in the earthquake zone and reminded that both countries helped each other in similar disasters.

Nikas said that every disaster they intervene in has a special personal impact on the search and rescue team members and added: "(The earthquake) left in my mind the images of those people, the love of the people we met and the solidarity between the two peoples. This solidarity is very important because it shows that we are together for each other when needed."

A worldwide experience

"As professional search and rescue teams, every event we encounter is a lesson and experience for us to utilise. The earthquake in Türkiye, which was unprecedented in scale and extremely difficult, was like this for us. We have incorporated the experience we gained from this earthquake into our operations."

Nikas emphasised that the earthquake in Türkiye was an unprecedented event for both Europe and all countries around the world in terms of bringing together search and rescue teams from all over the world:

"This is why international co-operation and solidarity in such an event was also evaluated worldwide. It may sound ugly, but the earthquake in Türkiye was a very good example in the international arena to see how we, as search and rescue teams from all corners of the world, can improve ourselves and work more harmoniously to get the best results."

Nikas, who works as a civil engineer at EMAK, said that although one year has passed since the earthquake, the earthquake in Turkey is still being discussed on international platforms.

They saved 5 lives

The EMAK team, which was mobilised on the same day after the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, set off from Athens with a "C-130" type aircraft belonging to the Greek Armed Forces and arrived in Türkiye and saved the lives of 5 people.

After the earthquake, tonnes of aid materials were sent from Greece to Türkiye with the campaigns launched both within the official institutions and among the people in Greece.

The rising tension in Turkish-Greek relations in recent years was replaced by messages of solidarity and friendship after the earthquake, and communication channels were reopened. In the new process dominated by mutual gestures, Türkiye and Greece decided to mutually support each other on international platforms.