International rescue teams recount their efforts in quake-hit Türkiye

By Seda Sevencan and Kenan Irtak

ISTANBUL (AA) – Search and rescue teams from Greece and China recounted their rescue efforts in southern Türkiye which was hit by twin earthquakes last week.

A total of 9,046 foreign personnel from 82 nations are currently working in the disaster zone, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Ioannis Papastathis, the head of a Greek rescue team, told Anadolu at Istanbul Airport that his team includes 27 people who are from different parts of Greece.

Papastathis stated the team came to Türkiye on Friday to conduct rescue efforts in Adiyaman province after the earthquakes.

Praising Turkish people, he underlined that they did not encounter any problems since they arrived.

Stating that the local people in Adiyaman always supported them, he added: “We made friends while conducting rescue efforts in the province and together we worked with them.”

He said there are many things he experienced in Adiyaman, which he cannot forget until the end of his life such as “the love, pain of people and the scale of devastation there.”

Later on, an official from the Turkish Foreign Ministry handed over a plaque of appreciation to the Greek team at the airport.

- Chinese Volunteer Rescue Team

Yuan Jiongming, head of the 11-person Chinese volunteer team, told reporters that what he experienced in the earthquake area was "very sad."

Stating that they want to save more lives and make great efforts for this purpose, Jiongming said the team pulled out 12 people from the wreckage of destroyed buildings and recovered one body.

“We have seen a similar, though not as great, tragedy in China but it's a much bigger disaster,” he said.

On Feb. 6, two powerful earthquakes struck southern Türkiye, centered in Kahramanmaras and shaking nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

The death toll has now climbed over 35,400, with thousands more injured.

Felt in several countries, the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors also caused massive destruction in northern Syria, where more than 3,500 lives have been lost.​​​​​​​

Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid.