Firefighters who spent a week aiding earthquake rescue efforts in Turkey were moved to tears by the warm welcome they received when they returned to Malta on Monday. 

The 32-person rescue team was greeted by rapturous applause from friends, family, and even Turkish citizens who live in Malta as they walked into the airport's arrivals hall. 

Many cried as they tightly hugged their loved ones. Others in the hall continued applauding.

Members of the Turkish community in Malta gave the rescuers flowers and offered baklava, a traditional Turkish sweet. 

Chief fire officer Kevin Pace was overseeing the Maltese effort in Turkey.

“I wanted to split into two, one side [of me] wanted us to give everything but another side felt responsible for my team. There were many dangers, and ways to get hurt,”  Pace said. 

He said that rescue missions in a building collapse in Malta are similar, but the scale was unimaginable.  

“The place is like a warzone, very devastating,” Pace said.

Turkey and northern Syria were devastated by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake and its aftershock that razed entire neighbourhoods to the ground.  As of Monday afternoon, the death toll had risen to above 35,000.

Pace thanked the CPD officers beside him in Turkey. “They left their families and gave everything, risking their lives,” he said.

No one was forced to go, he said. 

Pace said that throughout the week the 32-person team had gained a reputation for being competent. “Even locals were happy to see the Maltese,” he said. “We were welcomed with open arms,” he said.

Members of the Turkish community were among those who greeted the CPD officers Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

How CPD officers worked

The officers were stationed in Malatya, one of the cities worst hit by the massive earthquake. They worked 24 hours a day, split into two rotating twelve-hour shifts. 

They recovered dozens of dead bodies buried beneath the rubble, but were unable to find anyone alive. 

Pace said that in one building, a shopping arcade, the team together with others recovered between 60 and 70 bodies. They also found another 18 victims buried in rubble elsewhere. 

Family of victims were on-site when the CPD were recovering bodies, Pace said.

Rescue efforts have been complicated by winter weather, with temperatures falling below freezing point at night. 

Pace said that at points, the mercury hit -16 degrees Celsius. 

“As time passes it becomes harder to find people alive,” he said, noting that those who survived the collapse faced the misery of freezing to death. 

While the 32-person rescue team - and one dog - have returned to Malta, they are to be replaced by a second team of 32 CPD officers, accompanied by eight volunteers, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said last week.