Türkİye, Africa

Truck bombing: Turkey to send another doctor to Somalia

On Oct. 14, bombing in Somali capital Mogadishu left 358 people dead, 228 more injured

23.10.2017 - Update : 24.10.2017
Truck bombing: Turkey to send another doctor to Somalia

Ankara

By Murat Paksoy

ISTANBUL

A charity in Turkey will send third doctor to Somalia to treat people injured by a deadly suicide truck bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu.

Doctors Worldwide Turkey (DWWT) had already sent two doctors to Mogadishu, where the deadly attack on Oct. 14 left 358 people dead and 228 others injured.

A day after the attack, Turkey sent a military air ambulance to provide medical aid and to bring wounded people from Somalia to Turkey.

A plastic surgeon and general surgeon from DWWT were among the aid group sent in coordination with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and Health Ministry, the DWWT said in a statement.

The military air ambulance brought 35 injured Somalis to Turkey, it added.

“In accordance with the demand from Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in Somalia, a plastic surgeon and a general surgeon were dispatched to the area to treat the injured soon after the attack,” according to the statement.

“The Worldwide Doctors in Turkey will send a gynecologist to the area this evening [Monday]. Our doctor will treat the injured in the region until Nov. 8.”

The statement also described the gruesome picture at the hospital and how doctors devoted themselves to help the victims in the aftermath of the incident.

“Dead bodies were lined up at the corridors as morgues were packed. Doctors were terrified because the bodies were burned. Victims’ relatives were nervous as it was difficult to identify [bodies],” a DWWT doctor said in the statement.

The statement noted that Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital was the only medical facility, which was providing free medical aid to Somalis on the day of the deadly attack.

“People do not cry for death anymore. Relatives of the victims take the bodies and leave after thanking us because Somalis are used to deaths,” the DWWT doctor said.

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
Related topics
Bu haberi paylaşın