Chinese rescue teams with search dogs, equipment head to Türkiye

Members of a Chinese rescue team head for Türkiye for rescue operation, Feb. 7, 2023. (Photo/Xinhua) 

(ECNS) -- Several Chinese rescue teams carrying search dogs and equipment headed for Türkiye after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake jolted the country early Monday.

One team dispatched by the Chinese government departed from Beijing for Türkiye on a chartered plane Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts.

The 82-member team dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management is composed of personnel from the Beijing Fire and Rescue Corps, the National Earthquake Response Support Service, and the Emergency General Hospital in Beijing.

They carry rescue equipment and supplies weighing 21 tons, including live materials that can meet 14 days of demand, such as drinking water, instant noodles, canned food, and demolition tools.

Another eight rescue experts from Ram Union, a Chinese nongovernment team, carrying advanced radar search instruments, demolition rescue equipment and a rescue dog will carry out operations in the most earthquake-stricken areas of Türkiye.

The first batch of 60 rescuers and two dogs dispatched by the Blue Sky Rescue team set off for Türkiye on Wednesday and is expected to return to China in 20 days.

The Shenzhen Rescue Volunteers Federation also sent rescue forces.

China will provide Türkiye with RMB 40 million (about $5.9 million) in its first batch of emergency assistance. It has also dispatched heavy urban rescue and medical teams, and sent relief materials.

The country will also provide emergency relief materials to Syria and implement ongoing food aid projects to help the country survive the disaster.