More than 4200 people have died in major earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Usar has been requested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to start a search and rescue mission in the earthquake zone in Turkey and support international coordination and provide comfort and support to the residents. This humanitarian mission, under the EU flag, is not intended for Syria, but for Turkey. It Use (Urban Search And Rescue Team) personnel departed from Zoetermeer by bus to Eindhoven air base at 15.00 p.m.
Corendon's Boeing 737 picks up 65 rescue workers from the Dutch USAR and eight dogs at Eindhoven Airport. An hour later, a military C-17 transport aircraft leaves for Turkey with 15 tons of rescue equipment. Within this mission, 65 people will join, 4 rescue groups and support, 8 dogs and 15 tons of equipment. For equipment, think of technical detection equipment, heavy equipment to remove steel, concrete and wood, hydraulic props to lift a concrete slab, concrete crushers, hydraulic shears, grinders, thermal lances and saws to make their way to the victim.
The shocks were felt in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine. Hundreds of people are still believed to be trapped under the rubble, and the death toll is expected to rise.
Last night, the team awaited the arrival of a cargo plane that will land around 04.00:2 local time (+ XNUMX am Dutch time). The cargo plane with rescue equipment and the rescue team is expected to be deployed in an area together with the heavy team from Russia, Israel (heavy) and the medium teams from France, Spain and Italy.
On Monday evening, the team arrived in Adana around 23.00:5 PM. The weather conditions they found were bad in the affected area where some XNUMX million people live. The deployment will be in Kahramanmaras province.
Rutte
After the terrible reports about the earthquake in Turkey and Syria tweeted Prime Minister Mark Rutte. “Thoughts are with all victims of this serious natural disaster. A Dutch Search & Rescue Team will travel to the region today. I have conveyed my condolences to President Erdogan.” The nightly earthquake near the city of Gaziantep had a magnitude of 7.8, followed by 120 aftershocks, including one of 7.5.
If a disaster occurs somewhere in the world, USAR.NL is alerted via the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System of the United Nations and the European Commission. The National Crisis Center (NCC) in the Netherlands has also issued a warning. Depending on the incident and the contribution that USAR.NL can make, preparations for a deployment abroad will start.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation decides whether USAR.NL will actually be deployed. Aid is being sent from several countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Israel and the Netherlands.
