Dutch rescue team in Turkey pulls three people alive from under rubble
Rescue workers from the Dutch search and rescue team USAR pulled three people alive from under the rubble in the earthquake-hit area in Turkey on Tuesday evening. A USAR spokesperson reports this to the ANP news agency. The spokesperson could not say anything about the condition of the rescued people.
One of USAR’s four rescue groups managed to rescue someone during a reconnaissance, and later in the evening another rescue group pulled two more people out from under the rubble.
USAR departed Monday evening from Eindhoven Airport to the disaster area. The team has set up a base camp near the city of Hatay and consists of employees from the police, fire brigade, ambulance services and Defense specially trained for this type of rescue operation. According to the Turkish authorities, rescue workers from 36 different countries are now active in Turkey.
The death toll from the two strong earthquakes Monday morning has risen to more than 7,800, according to AFP news agency. 5,894 deaths have now been registered in Turkey and 1,932 in Syria. The death toll is expected to rise sharply in the coming days.
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Love this blog NRC the aftermath of the earthquakes that struck Turkey in the night from Sunday to Monday and Monday morning, near the border with Syria. An overview of Tuesday’s most important developments:
- It death toll as a result of the earthquakes has risen to at least 7,800. Thousands of people have been injured. Rescue workers in Turkey and Syria are still searching for people buried under the rubble. The Dutch Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) has also arrived in Turkey to assist the local authorities in the search. The USAR team’s base camp, consisting of 65 rescuers and 8 dogs, was set up Tuesday afternoon near the southern town of Hatay.
- The cooperating Dutch aid organizations have Tuesday emergency number Giro555 open for donations. There will also be a national day of action next Wednesday, in which public broadcasters and commercial channels will work together on programming that will focus on the disaster and support for victims. The exact details of the day are not yet known.
- Certainly eight Dutchmen who were in the affected area are still missing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported this on Tuesday. The Turkish authorities have not yet been able to confirm whether Dutch people were killed or injured in the earthquake.
Read the previous blog here.