La Guaira / Anadolu

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez awarded Turkish citizen Ibrahim Asr the 'Heroism Medal' in recognition of his efforts in rescuing 38 people from under the rubble after the double earthquake that struck the country.

Asr was among those who conveyed to the world, from the first moments of the earthquake, the scale of the disaster experienced by the Venezuelan people, through images and information he sent to Anadolu Agency.

Asr was awarded the medal during a ceremony held at the Jorge Luis García Carneiro Stadium in the city of La Guaira.

The ceremony also honored Venezuelan security and emergency response units that participated in rescue and coordination efforts following the earthquake.

Rodríguez said in a speech during the ceremony that 30,000 personnel took part in the disaster response efforts and performed their duties 'at the highest level.'

She added that the participants in the rescue operations struggled persistently to save Venezuelan lives and showed a spirit of solidarity and refusal to give up.

Photo: AA/AA

In an interview with Anadolu, Asr recounted the details of his meeting with Rodríguez and the process of granting him the 'Heroism Medal.'

He explained that Rodríguez had recently participated in the opening of a tent city established by the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), attended by Turkish Ambassador to Caracas Naci Aydan Karamanoğlu.

He pointed out that the Turkish ambassador spoke to Rodríguez about his efforts (referring to Asr), and she replied: 'Yes, I know him. He is everywhere, accompanies all aid coming from Turkey, and ensures it reaches the right places.'

Asr added: 'Rodríguez came to me personally and thanked me a lot, saying: I follow you and what you do online, thank you very much for everything.'

He continued: 'Then she turned to her companions and said: We must give an award to Ibrahim, he truly deserves it.'

Asr mentioned that he later received a call from the presidential palace informing him of the decision to award him the medal and inviting him to attend the ceremony.

He explained that Rodríguez addressed him by name during the ceremony, held his hand, and thanked him, despite only greeting the rest of the attendees without shaking their hands.

Asr quoted her as saying that what he did is 'a matter of honor and pride.'

He concluded by saying that Venezuelan officials addressed him with words of thanks, including: 'Oh Turk, thank you for everything.'

On June 24, a double earthquake struck Venezuela, the first with a magnitude of 7.2 and the second with a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale, killing 5,119 people, according to the latest count.

On June 26, the United Nations Development Programme announced that the direct material damage costs are estimated at around $6.7 billion.

Search and rescue operations are still ongoing in the country, amid fears that the death toll and number of injured will continue to rise.