Venezuela awards medal to Turkish earthquake rescuer

Medal ceremony in La Guaira

Ibrahim Eser, the Turkish national who pulled 38 survivors from earthquake rubble in Venezuela, was awarded the Hero of Venezuela Medal by Acting President Delcy Rodriguez at a ceremony held at Jorge Luis Garcia Carneiro Stadium, recognizing his extraordinary humanitarian efforts during the twin disasters that struck the South American nation.

From the earliest hours of the catastrophe, Eser documented the destruction for Anadolu Agency, providing footage that brought international attention to the tragedy's scale while working alongside local emergency teams searching for survivors in the devastated regions.

Presidential recognition

Rodriguez presented the medal to Eser and members of Venezuela's security and emergency response agencies, praising the rescue teams for carrying out their duties with honor and dignity. She noted they had fought tirelessly to save lives and embodied Venezuela's spirit of resilience and solidarity during the difficult recovery period.

The ceremony drew numerous Cabinet ministers, including the ministers of interior, foreign affairs and defense. Eser told Anadolu that Rodriguez had first learned of his work during the inauguration of an AFAD tent city, where Türkiye's Ambassador to Caracas Naci Aydan Karamanoglu mentioned his humanitarian contributions to the relief efforts.

'Source of honor and pride'

Rodriguez approached Eser personally at the AFAD event to express her gratitude, he recalled. "She thanked me and said, 'I have been following you and your work online. Thank you for everything.' Then she turned to her team and said, 'We need to present Ibrahim with an award. He truly deserves it,'" Eser said, adding that the presidential palace later called to arrange the formal ceremony.

During the medal presentation, Rodriguez addressed Eser by name and held his hand — a gesture she did not extend to other attendees — while numerous Cabinet ministers looked on. According to Eser, Rodriguez told him: "What you have done is a source of honor and pride." He replied, "The honor belongs to all of us. Just as we worked from the first day, we will continue to do so," he told Anadolu.

Eser noted that officials continuously expressed their gratitude throughout the event. "Everyone, whether I knew them or not, came over to greet me. They kept saying, 'Turk, thank you for everything,'" he said, describing the warmth shown by Venezuelan authorities for his rescue work.