The Republic of Korea Emergency Relief Team (KDRT) ‘2nd Jin’ arrived in Turkiye on the 17th to help Turkey, which was hit by the worst earthquake.
Air Force KC-330 transport planes with the second group of our relief team landed at Adana Airport in the southeastern part of Turkey around 12:00 noon our time. It has been about 12 hours since we took off from Incheon International Airport at around 0:09 am.
The 2nd relief team consists of 2 government officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the head of the relief team, 10 medical teams from the National Medical Center, the Korea Foundation for International Medical Health, and the Ministry of National Defense, 5 KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) employees, and 4 private emergency relief organization personnel. It consisted of a total of 21 people.
Compared to the first group (118 people), which was organized around search and rescue personnel, including military troops, the second group has a relatively high proportion of medical teams, but is characterized by the presence of civilian personnel.
The main mission of the relief team 2 is to identify the contents of necessary support projects, such as emergency and long-term reconstruction and restoration needs, through consultation with Turkiye, along with relief activities for victims of earthquake damage. It is said that the mission of the medical team is also focused on identifying the exact ‘medical demand’ of Turkiye rather than carrying out direct medical activities locally.
Republic of Korea Emergency Relief Team (KDRT) 2nd (provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc., the dispatch period of the relief team 2 is scheduled to be up to 7 days, but there is a possibility that it may be extended depending on local circumstances.
Along with the dispatch of the second relief team, the government also decided to provide additional relief goods worth 1 billion won, including 1030 cold-weather tents, 2360 blankets and 2200 sleeping bags, to the Turkish Disaster Management Agency (AFAD). . These relief goods will be airlifted to Turkey using a total of three aircraft, including transport planes carrying the relief team 2, other transport planes, and civil aircraft.
In the midst of this, the first group of our relief team, which had been conducting search and rescue activities in the Antakya area of Hatay Province in southeastern Turkey since the 9th, has now withdrawn to the Adana area. They have rescued 8 survivors and recovered 19 bodies.
The first group will donate items such as tents used locally to the Turkiye authorities, and then return home on the 18th by using the transport plane that the second group rode on.
The South Korean government plans to conduct health checkups and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) tests as soon as the first team of the relief team returns home.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.