Dutch rescue team returning home after week in Turkey; Enschede man, 71, among dead

After a week of searching the rubble in Turkey in the aftermath of massive earthquakes, the Dutch search and rescue team USAR.nl is heading home. A 71-year-old man from Enschede died in the earthquakes in Turkey, his daughter confirmed on Facebook. That brings the number of Dutch deaths to five.

The USAR pulled 12 people and a dog alive from under the rubble over the past week. The team looks at the rescues with pride, as the number was well above their expectations, team leader Job Kramer said to NOS. Though they also realize that the 12 people rescued are in stark contrast to the over 33,000 people who died. “But twelve is a lot for us. We have never saved so many people in an earthquake.

A highlight for the USAR was pulling an 8-year-old boy from the rubble on Friday, five days after the first earthquake hit. “Every rescue is extraordinary, of course, but this one came at a time when we no longer expected it. And then it turned out to be a child who was also relatively unharmed. I will never forget that look in his eyes,” Kramer said.

The USAR team comprised 65 people from the Dutch police, military, fire department, and ambulance services. They have all been trained for search and rescue missions like these. The team also had eight rescue dogs trained to look for living people in disaster areas with them. The USAR had its last day of work in Turkey on Sunday and will fly back to the Netherlands on Thursday.

Orlando Neslo, a 71-year-old man from Enschede, was one of the people who died in Turkey in the earthquakes, his daughter Jacqueline said on Facebook. “The week that seemed to last a month has come to an end,” she said.

Orlando and his Turkish girlfriend were missing in Antakya after the building they were staying in collapsed in the earthquakes. Their bodies were found in the rubble over the weekend. Orlando was a retired teacher. Comments under his daughter’s post described him as a “dear man,” a “great teacher,” and a “nice colleague.”

The earthquakes rocked Turkey and Syria last week Monday. According to NOS, at least 29,695 people died in Turkey and 3,775 in Syria.