Medic helping mothers rescued from rubble after earthquake in Turkey

A medic from Ballynahinch in Co Down has told of his work treating pregnant women pulled from the rubble following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Paul Holmes, 56, arrived in Turkey on February 11,  just five days after a huge earthquake left thousands of people trapped under destroyed buildings.

Mr Holmes volunteers through frontline medical aid charity UK-Med to work at the joint field hospital in Trkoglu, southern Turkey, which has treated more than 6,000 patients.

He said: “I’ve come across mums who have literally been pulled out of the rubble. They had not been dramatically badly injured thankfully.

“Carrying a baby is obviously worrying for any mother at the best of times, let alone when you have survived an earthquake on this scale and in many cases have been left totally homeless and sleeping in a tent.”

Aftershocks have continued to impact the work of rescuers and medics.

Mr Holmes said: “Whilst we’ve been here there’s been very noticeable aftershocks.

“The first one briefly set the hospital building on fire, which was slightly nerve-wracking. I saw smoke after it triggered an electrical fire but thankfully it was brought under control very quickly and there wasn’t huge damage.

“It’s not enough to knock you off your feet but the closest thing I can compare it to is when you are on a boat in choppy seas. You are not being thrown from side to side, but if you were trying to walk, you’d be unstable.”

He has experience with aid missions abroad, but as a father-of-four there are extra challenges that come with being away from home.

He said: “Fortunately, advances in technology mean I’ve been able to phone my wife each day via WhatsApp so they know I am OK. My children are not teeny-tiny kids so I think it’s been easier for them to get their heads round than when I was sent to Nepal.”

The UK Government responded to the disaster by deploying a team of 77 search and rescue experts with specialist equipment and announced a further £25 million major package of support on February 15.

UK Minister for Development Andrew Mitchell said: “The UK Government is proud that brave firefighters and medics from Northern Ireland have been at the very heart of our efforts to help the Turkish people in their hour of need.

“Both the UK-ISAR and UK-EMT pool world-leading expertise from across Britain to make a real difference in reacting to humanitarian disasters around the globe.

“The UK Government’s priority now is to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the thousands of families left homeless by the earthquake. It will be so vital in ensuring those affected can begin to rebuild their lives.”