Cat rescue operation in Diyarbakır: 7 cats have been rescued

Galeria building complex which is located in Diyarbakır’s Yenişehir district was damaged in Kahramanmaraş centered earthquakes. The complex consisted of 4 blocks that also included a shopping center, and one of the blocks collapsed during the earthquake. As a result, 89 people lost their lives and 22 people were injured. Galeria was given a ‘half ruined’ report by the Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanism, and Climate Change. The demolishing of the other blocks and the shopping center, which was the first shopping center of the city that was put into service in 1999, was decided.

The demolition began yesterday morning and the work had to be stopped at 15.00 local time because 4 cats were spotted inside. When the search and rescue work carried out with drones and cranes to save cats yielded no result, two helicopters belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)  from the Silopi district of Şırnak flew to Diyarbakır. A personnel from the helicopter flying over the complex was lowered via a rope to examine the floors where cats were spotted. When he could not reach the cats, he was pulled up back into the helicopter. Later in the evening some search and rescue volunteers were taken to the floor in a crane for the cats and a cat named ‘Zena’ was rescued in the 7th hour of the operation. Zena was taken to the Diyarbakır Bar Association Animal Rights Center for control.

Additionally, another cat named ‘Jahrettin’ was rescued at around 04.00 today and handed over to its owner Ezra Elbistan. ‘Jahrettin’ was taken to the Metropolitan Municipality Animal Care House and Rehabilitation Center for a health check.

5 MORE CATS WERE ALSO RESCUED

Later 5 more cats were also rescued from the complex. So far 7 cats spotted inside the complex during the demolition works have been rescued and the teams are looking for another cat named ‘Jahren’.