Members of a Chinese rescue team are seen before departing for Türkiye at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023.(Photo by Wang Jiangtao/Xinhua)
BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Türkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.
The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government.
The team, composed of personnel from the Beijing fire and rescue corps, the National Earthquake Response Support Service and the Emergency General Hospital in Beijing, carried with them rescue equipment and supplies.
Around 5,000 people were killed and tens of thousands injured after strong earthquakes jolted parts of Türkiye and neighboring Syria on Monday.
Fifty people from the Beijing fire and rescue corps joined the rescue team, and most of them are frontline rescue forces, said Bi Hongyi, head of the team. "The rescue forces have experienced professional training and have participated in many rescue operations," Bi said.
"We carry 13 tonnes of rescue equipment, including equipment for cutting concrete and steel bars, search and detection, and four rescue dogs, which can effectively help us carry out the mission," Bi added.
However, the large area affected by the earthquake, accompanied by high-intensity aftershocks and extremely cold weather, are expected to cause difficulties for rescue operations, said Bi.
Fu Jie, a member of the rescue team, said, "We have been preparing for the mission since Monday. We have collected information on the earthquake situation and rescue response from other countries, and have made urgent action plans."
"We will carry out relief operations in accordance with the requirements of the Turkish government and the arrangements of the United Nations," said Fu, adding "I hope we can do what we can to help Türkiye."
Members of a Chinese rescue team check medical supplies before departing for Türkiye at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023.(Xinhua/Li Xin)
Meanwhile, several non-governmental Chinese rescue teams are also departing for Türkiye to join earthquake relief efforts.
On Tuesday morning, a team of eight earthquake relief experts from the Rescue Team of Ramunion departed from Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, and is expected to arrive in earthquake-stricken areas of Türkiye on Wednesday afternoon.
He Jun, captain of the team, said that they would use advanced radar life detectors, demolition and rescue equipment, and a search and rescue dog for the mission.
On Tuesday afternoon, the first group of eight rescue workers from Blue Sky Rescue (BSR) departed from Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, for Türkiye to help search and rescue efforts, and support those impacted.
They will fly to Türkiye on Wednesday after joining rescue workers from other BSR teams in Wuhan, central China. Rescue efforts are expected to continue for more than 15 days, according to Liu Xiaodong, a member of the Hefei BSR team.
The rescue workers have brought professional earthquake rescue equipment, personal protective equipment and other necessary resources to support their work, Liu said. ■
