The members of Hungarian research and rescue organizations have returned from Libya. They were received by Sate Secretary responsible for aiding persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej at Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc International Airport on Sunday night.

Tristan Azbej, during a press briefing held on the runway, referred to the mission of the members of the delegation of rescue teams led by the Pest County Research and Rescue Service as long, arduous, and heroic. He recalled that on 11 September, a natural disaster struck the port city of Derna in Libya, where a devastating storm caused the levees separating the city’s low-lying areas from the sea to breach, resulting in the inundation of the settlement. ‘According to our current knowledge, more than fifteen thousand people lost their lives in the catastrophe,’ the State Secretary added.

According to Tristan Azbej, when the Libyan authorities requested assistance, the Hungary Helps programme immediately contacted Hungarian civilian research and rescue organizations, three of which undertook the long and arduous journey. With the coordination and financial support of the Hungary Helps programme, as well as the cooperation of the Hungarian Defence Forces and the Turkish disaster management authority, the rescue organizations ultimately reached the disaster-stricken area in Libya by sea.

Tristan Azbej thanked the Hungarian research and rescue personnel for their work, stressing that they have undertaken a difficult and heroic mission in recent days. Due to the challenging accessibility, only a few international groups arrived in Libya, where Hungarians primarily searched for deceased individuals and discovered more than a hundred bodies.

With their difficult, sombre work, they not only alleviated the epidemic situation but also provided an opportunity for grieving families to bid their loved ones a final farewell, the state secretary explained. He added that

the Libyan authorities have highlighted the professionalism of Hungarian research and rescue personnel.

Tristan Azbej also mentioned that the service of Hungarians was not without risks; several European research and rescue workers lost their lives in Libya, and the flooded areas saw the emergence of typhus and cholera, while the flood also brought mines to the surface.

Related articles:

Sources: Hungarian Conservative/MTI