The Bitlis Provincial Health Directorate and various stakeholders conducted an impressive earthquake drill using Türkiye's largest ferries in the eastern Anatolia region.
The drill, organized by the Bitlis Provincial Health Directorate and involving the Bitlis Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD) Directorate, the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE), police, gendarmerie, the Ferry Operations Directorate, marine police and coast guard teams, lasted approximately five hours.
According to the scenario, an earthquake in Varto, Muş province, necessitated the evacuation of injured individuals and patients from Bitlis-Tatvan State Hospital to Van using the Sultan Alparslan ferry.
Upon receiving the earthquake alert, the UMKE team promptly mobilized. Injured individuals and patients from hospitals in Bitlis were initially transported to field hospitals and then transferred to Van.
The exercise also simulated damage to the Kuskunkıran tunnel on the Tatvan-Van highway, which led to the transfer of patients and injured individuals to the ferry.
En route to Van, the ferry also picked up an injured person from Ahlat.
Injured individuals were transferred from the coast guard boat to the ferry using lifeboats deployed on Lake Van. The drill concluded after approximately five hours, involving 97 personnel, 19 vehicles, four boats and one ferry.
Following the drill, Bitlis Provincial Health Director Mustafa Ekici highlighted the importance of such training, especially after the devastating earthquake on Feb. 6.
He emphasized the crucial role of UMKE and AFAD volunteers, noting that the number of UMKE volunteers in Bitlis has increased from 96 to 117.
Ekici stressed that Türkiye has 485 fault lines across 45 provinces capable of producing earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 or higher, with Bitlis situated at a critical intersection of the Eastern Anatolia-Northern Anatolia fault lines, making it highly vulnerable.
Ekici explained that the drill simulated the ferry-based patient transfer scenario due to Bitlis’s extensive coastline on Lake Van.
He also mentioned that UMKE volunteers often assist in earthquake response across Türkiye and internationally, such as in Palestine.
The drill aimed to enhance the skills of the newly added UMKE volunteers and ensure they are well-prepared for future emergencies.
The exercise involved a simulated 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Varto, Muş, affecting neighboring provinces, including Bitlis. UMKE and AFAD teams established a field hospital in the Bitlis-Tatvan State Hospital’s yard and prepared for patient transfer to Van by ferry, as road damage impeded land transport.
Injured individuals were treated at a field hospital set up on the ferry, and a patient from Ahlat was also transferred via the coast guard boat to the ferry.
