Italy protection unit manager: ‘It was much more devastating than 1999’

Luigi Dangelo, General Manager of the Italian Civil Protection Unit, stated that the earthquakes centered on Kahramanmaraş were much more destructive than the Gölcük earthquake of August 17, 1999.

Dangelo, who arrived in Turkey during the Gölcük earthquake, answered questions from the AA correspondent about the work of the Italian search and rescue team in Antakya, the central Hatay district. Dangelo said that his country immediately took measures to help Turkey after the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, and that the Italian search and rescue team arrived in Antakya 24 hours after the earthquake and participated in the work.

Expressing that they work in the region with 63 search and rescue specialists and 7 dogs trained in the team, Dangelo thanked the support of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). The General Manager Dangelo declared that as a result of his work, they managed to get 2 people out of the rubble alive.

Noting the closeness the locals showed them, Dangelo said: “They were very nice. There was a lot of solidarity and thanks to our friends on our team who worked for them. We feel the gratitude of the Turkish people. We would like to thank Turkey for helping us help them,” he said.

‘I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH A DISASTER IN MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE’

In his assessment of the destruction in the region due to the earthquake, Luigi Dangelo said: “I have never seen such a disaster in my professional life. (August 17) I was in Turkey during the 1999 Izmit earthquake, but this time (the Kahramanmaraş centered earthquake) was much more devastating.”

Luco Rosiello, head of the Italian search and rescue team, said the teams were mobilized on the day of the earthquake and participated in search and rescue work in Antakya for 10 days.

Regarding the devastation caused by the quake, Rosiello said: “This is a huge disaster, I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Rosiello said that they rescued 2 people from the rubble, and this gave his team morale and strength in the search and rescue efforts.

Italian chef Rosiello stated that what he saw in Antakya was a very sad situation, noting that they were happy to help the Turkish people and also felt the pain experienced in the country. (AA)