In Şırnak, two engineers who were stranded in a mountainous area after going there to collect samples were rescued in an operation involving AFAD and gendarmerie teams, with the use of a military helicopter.
The incident occurred yesterday evening in a mountainous area in the Ballıkaya locality, situated between the town of Balveren, which is affiliated with the city center, and the district of Silopi. Two engineers, who had gone to the region to collect samples, called the 112 Emergency Call Center to report that they were stranded. Upon the notification, AFAD and gendarmerie teams were dispatched to the area. The teams identified the engineers' location from a video they had sent. However, due to the difficulty of land access caused by steep rocks and rugged terrain, air support was requested from the Air Force Command, coordinated by the AFAD Presidency. The military helicopter dispatched to the region was initially unable to carry out the rescue operation due to the lack of a suitable area for a safe landing.
The engineers stranded in the area lit a fire, both to keep warm and to signal their location. AFAD's mountaineering team and gendarmerie personnel attempted to reach the area with a trek expected to last approximately 3 hours. However, as they experienced difficulty advancing due to the darkness of the night and the challenging terrain, a military helicopter was dispatched to the region again around 03:00. Specially trained commandos were lowered from the helicopter using a basket. Following the commandos' initial intervention, the two engineers were hoisted into the helicopter with a basket. The rescued engineers were taken to the 23rd Infantry Division Command. It was reported that the engineers are in good health.