“The machines will kill people, we will not be part of this”

International teams that rushed Turkey following last week’s catastrophic earthquake in support of search and rescue efforts have criticised Turkish government’s decision to enter the rubble with construction equipment, warning that this will lead to more deaths.

The Spanish search and rescue team has ended its mission in Turkey and left the country on Monday, in the aftermath of Erdogan government’s decision to use construction equipment.

Speaking to Spanish RTVE at Adana International Airport on his way to home, “The machines will kill people, we will not be part of this,” Pedro Frutos, a Spanish team member said.

A Slovak team member who was also about to leave Turkey at Adana Airport told the Spanish broadcaster that they could still continue their rescue efforts.

“We could still continue working, but they entered the rubble with machines and told us to go,” he said.

Another Spanish team member Juan Francisco Gutierrez Zazo also complained of lack of organization in the earthquake zone.

“If there was a better coordination or organization, if the government or the authorized institution could make a healthier organization, we could make better use of the opportunities we have here today,” he told RTVE.