Central America
Salvadoran heroes who provided aid in Turkey return home
February 19 |
After nine days away from home, the Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) El Salvador and the Humanitarian Rescue Unit (HRU) of the Armed Forces, made up of 111 rescuers, military and health personnel, who carried out search and rescue work in Turkey, returned to Salvadoran soil.
This nation was strongly affected last February 6 by two earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 on the Richter scale, and El Salvador was one of the first countries to send rescue support.
The Salvadoran heroes landed on their return flight on Saturday afternoon at the San Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport, where they were received by the authorities of the Ministries of the Interior, Defense, Health, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and the directors of Civil Protection and Firefighters.
“Thank you, a great job, it is a pride to work with you, it is a pride to have you at home, welcome heroes”, were the words of the Minister of the Interior, Juan Carlos Bidegain.
He added that thanks to the work done, El Salvador was able to demonstrate in Turkey that it has highly prepared teams that have now been placed among the elite USAR teams around the world.
“We are the ones who are grateful to you, what you have done, what you have done is incredible, what you have done is wonderful,” said Bidegain.
For his part, Erick Vázquez, lieutenant of the USAR-EL SALVADOR group, in his report to the authorities, highlighted the rescue of two people alive.
“We have done a job with all the logistics involved, we went to put into practice everything we learned. We had the joy of performing two rescues, a minor and a woman of approximately 30 years of age, we are proud to have done it”, celebrated Vázquez.
He explained that during their stay in Turkey, from February 9 to 17, they worked in 15 buildings, in which the canine unit and the rescuers did the work they were assigned to do, earning the respect and admiration of USAR groups from the rest of the world.
“Leaders of other USAR groups around the world have told us that we have positioned ourselves among the best, along with France, Germany and Egypt, among others,” Vazquez said.
The recognition given by the leaders of other USAR groups was also shared by Defense Minister Rene Francis Merino Monroy.
“I want to highlight the level of the two search teams of El Salvador [USAR and UHR] to provide assistance to other countries,” said the official.
At the same time he added: “We have in El Salvador a response team that can highly prepared to help foreign countries”.
Merino Monroy congratulated the USAR and UHR team of the Armed Forces for putting the name of El Salvador on high and fulfilling the mission entrusted to them.
“The mission that was entrusted to them, to the USAR and UHR group of the Armed Forces, to rescue lives was fulfilled, in addition to reviewing and cleaning each of the buildings in which they worked,” said the minister.
Turkey’s ambassador to El Salvador, Gül Büyükerşen, also received the heroes and expressed her gratitude for the support of the Salvadoran teams, as well as to President Nayib Bukele’s willingness to help from the first moment.
“President Nayib Bukele was one of the first leaders who spoke with my president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, by phone (after the earthquakes),” said the diplomat.
In addition, he stressed that “El Salvador may be a small country (in territory), but it has a big heart”.
Central America
Young actress Adriana Isabel Mojica dies in tragic accident in Torrelodones
Young actress and singer Adriana Isabel Mojica, 19 years old, died Thursday morning after being struck by a vehicle in Torrelodones, Spain, confirmed the town’s mayor.
“I am deeply shocked by the death of our young neighbor Adriana Isabel in this tragic accident. My heartfelt support goes to her family and friends during these terribly difficult times. Rest in peace,” posted Almudena Negro, Mayor of Torrelodones.
According to Spain’s El Mundo newspaper, the incident occurred on the A-6 motorway, at kilometer 31.5, at 7:35 a.m.
Central America
Nicaragua frees 135 political prisoners, repatriated to Guatemala through U.S. mediation
Nicaragua released 135 political prisoners for humanitarian reasons, who were received by Guatemala on Thursday, thanks to U.S. mediation, which will allow them to travel to that country or others.
At La Aurora Airport in Guatemala City, the former detainees celebrated their freedom. “Thank God for being free, long live a free Nicaragua,” declared Francisco Arteaga to reporters, raising his fist in the air.
Arteaga had been detained for posting “on social media the actions” of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, against the Catholic Church, he told reporters from the window of a bus taking him to a reception center. According to the Guatemalan presidency, the group arrived yesterday on “a special flight that landed at 06:20 a.m.” (12:20 GMT).
The White House announced shortly before that it had secured the release of these prisoners, including 13 members of the Texas-based evangelical organization Mountain Gateway, Catholic laypeople, students, and others whom Ortega and Murillo “consider a threat to their authoritarian regime.”
The release was carried out for humanitarian reasons, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement, just two months before the U.S. presidential elections. Eric Jacobstein from the State Department, who was involved in the negotiations, indicated that the Nicaraguan regime did not receive anything in return.
Central America
President Mulino announces curfew for minors in Bocas del Toro amid surge in crime
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino announced on Thursday a nighttime curfew for minors in the Caribbean province of Bocas del Toro, a popular tourist area, in an effort to combat gangs that “work for the Gulf Cartel or the Tren de Aragua.”
“The crime rate in Bocas del Toro is extremely high. It is one of the provinces leading in criminal activity, murders, and drug trafficking,” Mulino said at his weekly press conference.
Mulino stated that next week he will request local authorities in Bocas del Toro, a province on the border with Costa Rica, to implement a nighttime curfew for minors.
This measure is in addition to the recently imposed curfews for minors in the Caribbean province of Colón and the populous district of San Miguelito, adjacent to the capital.
Bocas del Toro, located more than 550 kilometers by road from Panama City, is made up of paradise islands and mainland areas, attracting many foreign tourists.
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