09/07/2026
When powerful twin earthquakes devastated Venezuela, Turkish businessman İbrahim Eser's first instinct was to save his own family. After making sure his wife and children were safely out of harm's way, he raced back into the disaster zone, where buildings had collapsed and desperate cries for help echoed through the streets. With no heavy equipment, Eser began digging through the rubble with his bare hands, rescuing 38 people and carrying them to safety as chaos unfolded around him.
Eser recalled heartbreaking moments, including trying for more than an hour to free a trapped man named Santiago, whose voice he could hear beneath the concrete, but the lack of rescue equipment made it impossible to reach him in time. He also helped evacuate a nearby Turkish Airlines crew before praising the Turkish rescue teams that later arrived to assist. Reflecting on the tragedy, Eser said seeing the destruction in person was far different from watching it on television, adding that only those who witness such devastation firsthand can truly understand its scale.