Xinhua News Agency, Antakya, Turkey, February 11thSummary: Life goes on and rescue goes on—multiple Chinese rescue forces rushed thousands of miles to help the earthquake-stricken areas in Turkey
Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Tengfei Wang Feng Li Zhenbei
The Chinese rescue team that aided the earthquake-stricken areas in Turkey continued to fight day and night on the 10th, and cooperated with the Turkish side again on the same day to rescue a survivor. Up to now, a total of 4 survivors have been rescued. In addition, several Chinese civil rescue teams also bravely went retrograde after the earthquake to help the earthquake-stricken areas in Turkey.
On the 10th, the Chinese rescue team continued to search and rescue in the Inonu block of Antakya City, Hatay Province. After surveying multiple search and rescue points, and through the double confirmation of the search and rescue personnel’s hearing and search and rescue equipment, a person under the ruins was located. The survivors finally rescued a middle-aged and elderly female survivor together with the earth rescue force. The survivor suffered an arm injury, but was in good overall physical condition and was able to communicate with search and rescue personnel.
This is the fourth survivor rescued by the Chinese rescue team. It has been more than 96 hours since the earthquake. In the early morning of the 8th local time, a group of 82 members of the Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport in Turkey. They worked together with the Turkish rescue team. From the early morning to the evening of the 9th, they first rescued a pregnant woman, and rescued two other female survivors after the “golden 72 hours” of rescue.
At the same time, a number of rescue teams from the Chinese people overcame many difficulties to rush to the disaster-stricken area, and quickly put into search and rescue work. The 8-person advance team of the Ram Rescue Team from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province arrived in Turkey on the afternoon of the 8th local time, and quickly rushed to the disaster area with rescue equipment, and put into rescue operations in the epicenter overnight. That same night, the Ram Rescue Team managed to rescue a man and a child in the Iskenderun area. On the afternoon of the 9th, the Ram Rescue Team and the Turkish search and rescue force successfully rescued a family of five from a private house in the town of Hatay Belem in Turkey. Team leader He Jun said that the two adults were injured to varying degrees and had been sent to the hospital for treatment, while the three children appeared to be safe and sound. Pictures from the scene showed the mother lying on a stretcher giving the rescue team a thumbs up.
The 127-member China Blue Sky Rescue Team arrived in Turkey in the early hours of the 9th local time, and then rushed to Malatya, a city near the epicenter, to carry out rescue work. Under the arrangement of the earthwork, the Blue Sky Rescue Team was divided into 7 search and rescue teams, and they went to various sites to search and rescue under the leadership of local leaders. After dozens of hours of hard work day and night, the blue sky rescue team successfully rescued a woman.
In addition, Zoomlion Rescue Team, Beijing Emergency Rescue Association, Green Boat Rescue Team, Shenzhen Public Welfare Rescue Team, etc. have all carried out rescue in the local area. As of 9 a.m. on the 10th, a total of 15 Chinese social emergency rescue teams with 288 people had arrived in the earthquake-stricken areas of Turkey. Shanghai Electric Power, Sinochem Tianchen, Sany Heavy Industry Group, SPIC Shanghai Nengke and other Chinese-funded enterprises sent oil, heavy equipment, drinking water, food and other materials to the rescue team in Turkey. At the same time, local Chinese groups spontaneously went to the disaster area to provide assistance to the local people.
According to data from the Turkish Ministry of Health, the strong earthquake that occurred in southern Turkey near the Syrian border on the 6th has killed more than 20,000 people in the country; the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency released data showing that after the earthquake, there were more than 1,500 aftershocks, exceeding 75,000 People were evacuated from the earthquake zone in southern Turkey, and more than 120,000 people participated in post-earthquake rescue operations in Turkey.
As of late at night on the 10th local time, it has been more than 100 hours since the strong earthquake occurred, and the local temperature is low, so it will become more and more difficult to search and rescue survivors. However, Chinese rescuers will continue to cooperate with all rescue forces in a race against time, with lives and rescues continuing.
(Wang Tengfei, Wang Feng, Li Zhenbei)
[Responsible editor: Xu Dan]