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."
