Just 20-year-old Giorgos Aslanidis is hard at work on the ruins left behind by the deadly earthquake in Turkey. A little further on, the leader of the group Babis Aslanidis gives non-stop instructions, in the hope that life will be heard from the ruins. Babish and Giorgos are connected not only by a common name or common actions on the field, but also by blood ties, since they have a father-son relationship.

For five days and nights they fought side by side in the ruined buildings in Kahraman Maras, and together with the rest of the rescue volunteers from Thessaloniki, they had a common goal: to find those who were trapped in the rubble, contributing to the rescue operation. search and rescue work. With danger lurking every moment and the ground periodically shaking under their feet, there were many moments of tension and anguish as the paternal “careful” took on another dimension in this scene of destruction and utter sadness.

“When we went to the field on the first day, into the rubble, I stayed away. I didn’t go to the wreckage, but I was close to my father. I wanted to see how he performs as a team leader, but basically I wanted to give him time, reduce his anxiety, not see me in the first minutes in action. The next day, I also went under the rubble. I don’t know how he felt, but I do know that I saw him breathe a sigh of relief filled with joy when I got out and was fine. Beaten, but strong and strong,” says young volunteer rescuer Giorgos Aslanidis in an interview with APE-MBE.

Babis’ father “carries” on his back many years of experience as president of the Greek rescue team and, in fact, in Turkey, led all five operations organized in the region. “Despite many years of practice, you can’t help but be a little more concerned when you are with your child in such conditions,” he declares and at the same time explains that he knows his son’s abilities and knowledge, as he himself trained him from a young age. “It couldn’t be otherwise, yes, of course there was additional stress, it’s your son encroaching on the wreckage, but when you educate someone, when you help them understand what should be done and what should not be done in this case, you understand how you can help them you trust This happened to George, who was trained from the age of nine,” says Babis Aslanidis.

Listening to his father, the third year nods and adds, “Being in ruins under my father was pretty good. There is no person I know better and trust more! Having him on the pitch, like a safety, reassured me and helped me play better, focus on what I was doing without thinking about other things. Indeed, in the field and in action, he is no longer just my father, he is my leader, which means that in those hours there are no objections and disagreements, one must stay away from sentimentality in order to be cold-blooded. After all, there are rules for our own security,” notes Giorgos Aslanidis.

The mission from Thessaloniki started after contacting the Turkish consulate. A long journey followed as they went to Piraeus to transport special equipment, and from there by boat to Mytilini, then to Ayvali, and then by car to the ruined city. “Traveling with our backpacks on an airplane would be the most convenient for us, but it would mean leaving behind specialized heavy equipment and therefore less value for our business,” explains B. Aslanidis, who participates in the simulation exercise with his son. to intervene in such strong earthquakes four times a year.

The mission, which returned a few days ago to Thessaloniki, consisted of 35 people, all volunteers, some of whom also participated in the earthquake relief operations in Albania. People who, as they say, having returned, returned to their jobs, since this is not their profession. “We joined the civil protection mechanism of the UN and Turkey, we had specific missions with points that we had to complete, and there were five cases in total. These two were successful. We didn’t pull anyone alive from the rubble, but with our cars we identified the places where they got stuck,” says Babis Aslanidis.

Both he and his son will never forget the first sight they saw upon entering Turkey: devastation wherever they looked, along with a special smell, the sour smell of destruction and death, which they will never forget…

Source: RES