A Turkish citizen living in Venezuela rescued 38 people from collapsed buildings after first ensuring his own family was safe during the powerful twin earthquakes that struck the South American country, describing scenes that "resembled a war zone."
Ibrahim Eser, who has lived in Venezuela for 22 years and serves as a representative of the World Turkish Business Council (DTIK), recounted his experience from La Guaira, one of the areas hardest hit by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck just 39 seconds apart.
Eser said he was in his office when the first tremor hit, "I was sitting in my office when the earthquake struck. Suddenly, I saw the refrigerator and cabinets falling toward me. My first thought was my wife and children because our home was just behind the building that later collapsed," he said.
He immediately rushed home, where he found his wife and child trying to flee the building amid the panic. After escorting them to a safe location, he returned to the disaster zone instead of leaving the area.
"As I ran home, I saw furniture, televisions and even people falling from buildings," Eser said. "After getting my family to safety, I went back because there were people trapped under the rubble everywhere."
According to Eser, he spent the night pulling survivors from collapsed structures and managed to rescue 38 people alive.
"When I turned around, I saw entire buildings had collapsed. There were screams coming from every direction. Injured people were lying on the streets while others were fighting for their lives beneath the debris. I immediately began pulling people out and carrying them to safety," he said.
Eser also described witnessing a gas station opposite his office catch fire, saying the destruction and chaos were unlike anything he had experienced before.
"It looked more like a war zone than the aftermath of an earthquake," he said.
Despite his efforts, Eser said he was unable to save everyone. He spent more than an hour trying to reach a man named Santiago, whose voice he could hear beneath the rubble, but lacked the heavy equipment needed to break through reinforced concrete and structural columns.
Later, Eser also helped evacuate a Turkish Airlines (THY) crew staying at a hotel near the disaster area.
He said Türkiye's ambassador to Caracas, Aydan Karamanoğlu, attempted to contact him following the disaster, but damaged communications infrastructure prevented him from answering.
Eser praised the Turkish search-and-rescue teams that arrived in Venezuela, thanking the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE), and the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) for their assistance.
"I have worked alongside them for the past three days," he said. "Seeing the devastation in person is completely different from seeing it in photos or on television. Only when you witness it firsthand do you truly understand the scale of the disaster."
He added that search-and-rescue operations continue in the Playa Grande area and noted that Turkish institutions, led by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), have delivered humanitarian aid, including food assistance, to affected communities.
