Bangladesh to send medical and rescue teams to Turkey
The World Health Organisation has warned that the death toll in earthquakes could rise eight-fold
Bangladesh is planning to send two teams to Turkey to join the rescue efforts there after two strong earthquakes of 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude struck in south-eastern Turkey, near Syria's border, and further north in a 12 hours interval on Monday which reportedly left over 5,100 people dead and thousands of others injured.
"We are planning to send an emergency medical team and a rescue team," Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin told The Business Standard (TBS) on Tuesday.
Rescuers in Turkey and war-ravaged Syria searched through the cold night into Tuesday, hoping to pull more survivors from the rubble after thousands of buildings across a wide area toppled over by the earthquakes.
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Authorities feared that the death toll from Monday's pre-dawn earthquake and aftershocks would keep climbing as rescuers looked for survivors among tangles of metal and concrete spread across the region beset by Syria's 12-year civil war and refugee crisis, reports AP.
The World Health Organisation has warned that the death toll could rise eight-fold, reports the BBC.
Earlier, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen sent his condolences to the government and people of Turkey and Syria.
Meanwhile, the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) has also drawn up a rescue team comprising 12 fighters along with the rescue team of the Armed Forces Division. The rescue team will fly to Turkey and conduct rescue and search operations, according to an FSCD press release.
The Turkish government has already sought international aid after the devastating natural disaster. Responding to the call, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the departments concerned to send a collaborative support team led by the Bangladesh Armed Forces to Turkey, said the press release.
The Director General (DG) of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Directorate formed a 12-member rescue team to join the rescue operation in Turkey. The selected firefighters are internationally trained in conducting search and rescue operations in collapsed buildings as per the standards of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (Insarag).
FSCD DG Brigadier General Md Main Uddin said, "We feel honoured to add the Fire Service with the combined rescue team from Bangladesh. This is the fire service's first overseas trip to conduct rescue operations in the international arena."
