The search and rescue activities of the Korea Emergency Relief Team (KDRT) are continuing in the area affected by the earthquake in Turkiye.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 11th, the KDRT, which consists of firefighters, military personnel and military dogs, started a search operation in the suspected area requested by the Turkiye disaster authorities at around 8:40 am local time.

The day before, KDRT deployed 80 rescue personnel to 10 sites and conducted high-intensity search and rescue activities for more than 12 hours, centering on areas where survivors were likely to survive.

Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Do-hoon held a meeting of the Emergency Relief Headquarters Response Team at 1:30 pm on the same day, received a report on the situation at the scene from Emergency Relief Chief Won Do-yeon, and reviewed additional support plans taking this into account.

Hundreds of aftershocks followed the 7.8 earthquake on the 6th in the southeastern region of Turkiye, which shares the border with Syria. As a result, the number of deaths reported so far in both Turkey and Syria has exceeded 23,000.

At the request of the Turkiye side, the Korean government dispatched a total of 118 KDRT to the site on the 8th. These KDRTs will first carry out relief activities such as search and rescue in Turkey until the 17th.

KDRT rescued a total of five survivors on the 9th, the first day of the activity, from a 2-year-old girl to a man in his 70s, but there has been no news of additional rescues since.

The government plans to consider sending additional KDRTs in a shift format depending on the local situation in Turkey.

KDRT was established in 2007 in accordance with the ‘Overseas Emergency Relief Act’ (Overseas Emergency Relief Act). In the event of a large-scale overseas disaster, KDRT is dispatched for disaster relief and other support activities to affected countries after deliberation by the public-private joint Overseas Emergency Relief Council.

Source: Donga