An American firefighter who has participated in rescue operations in 20 disasters around the world dropped everything to help Türkiye's quake-hit southeast when he heard about the massive catastrophe that claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Dean William Solter, 58, an American firefighter living in the Philippines, was due to start a new job on Feb. 14 but as soon as he heard about the twin earthquakes, he called it off and rushed to join rescue teams in Türkiye.
While rescue teams from over 15 countries around the world came to help Türkiye after the deadly earthquakes in the country's southeast, he was joining many volunteers from different countries who came to the country to participate in rescue efforts in the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake, including a team from the Philippines that came to Adıyaman with approximately 52 search and rescue volunteers.
The Turkish nation is grappling with grief and loss as the country's death toll passed 38,000 following last week’s twin earthquakes. A lucky few are still being pulled alive from the rubble, with two families rescued from debris in Kahramanmaraş city 261 hours after the massive earthquake.
Solter had previously come to Türkiye in the 1999 Gölcük earthquake and said that this earthquake was the worst among the 20 disasters he had previously witnessed.
"Today was a very emotional and difficult day. We rescued two girls from the building and the girls thanked us by saying, 'God has sent you for us.' While the country is passing through such a hard time, Turkish people still provided all with their hospitality. They gave us food and shelter. They tried to help in every way. They remained very optimistic and hospitable," he shared.
"It is a terrible event. The world is here to help Türkiye financially, medically, and in every possible way. We responded to Türkiye's call for help, and we will continue to do so," he added.
Construction worker Faruk Altunkaynak, the head of the volunteer mountaineer rescue team that came to Adıyaman from Izmir, said: "We flew from Izmir to Adana. There we met Solter who was waiting with his two Malaysian friends.
"They also had to go to Adıyaman by road. They couldn't take a bus and were stuck on the highway due to the damaged roads, so we offered them a ride, and this is how our journey of brotherhood started.
"During that six-hour journey, we listened to his story. It made us very happy that he came here from abroad with such love and with his own means to help us. Now he is now one of our family members."
