A journey deep into the interior of Turkey has been at the top of the bucket list of truck driver Kees van Schilt (46), a former resident of Dwingeloo, for years. Just for the challenge. But when the devastating earthquakes hit southern Turkey and neighboring Syria, he turned that fervent wish into a courageous act.
Together with fellow driver AndrĂ© Vrielink (39) from Diever, he headed for the affected area with a load of relief supplies. They delivered as far as Gaziantep, where they realized: “We are not here for Jan with the short surname; people really go into the night a little warmer because of us.”
Van Schilt and Vrielink arrived in Istanbul last night, on their way back to the Netherlands after delivering the goods to the distribution point in Gaziantep. Their truck couldn’t get any further because of the bad state of the roads. To the location they transported sleeping bags, tents, clothing, sanitary towels, diapers, first aid kits and electric heaters.
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