IPOH: It was heartbreaking for fireman Shahrul Nizam Murad to see the bodies of a mother and three children hugging each other in southern Turkiye.
The 47-year-old father of five from the Taiping Fire and Rescue Department was part of a Malaysian search and rescue team sent to Nurdagi when he discovered the bodies under debris.
He said the bodies were found on the fourth day of the mission.
“First I saw the body of a woman, and while removing her, we saw her hugging her children and holding the hand of one child. Having five children of my own, I felt really sad and my eyes started to tear up when removing the bodies one by one,” he said.
“But I needed to be strong, and told myself that I must focus on my duty,” added Shahrul, who has been in the service for 27 years.
He was speaking to reporters at the Perak Fire and Rescue Department’s monthly gathering at the headquarters in Bandar Meru Raya here on Tuesday (Feb 28).
He was in Turkiye for 20 days from Feb 6, and arrived home in Taiping on Monday (Feb 27).
Shahrul suffered from frostbite on both hands due to the cold and dry weather.
“In Turkiye, we put up tents on a field at a nearby stadium, and daily we will leave in the morning right up to late evenings. This was my first rescue mission overseas,” he added.
