Disaster relief efforts in Turkiye, Syria continue

Chinese teams moved by locals' kindness as they rescue survivors in quake-hit areas

An aircraft carrying a second batch of disaster relief supplies to Syria sent by the Red Cross Society of China arrived in Damascus from Beijing on Monday, to further assist the country in rescue operations following the catastrophic earthquakes that struck Turkiye and Syria on Feb 6.

The supplies contain daily necessities such as tents, family relief packs and clothing as well as urgently needed medicines and other medical materials that could help at least 10,000 people, the RCSC said in a statement.

The first shipment consisting of medical supplies for up to 5,000 people arrived in Damascus, capital of Syria, on Thursday evening local time and had already been delivered to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to be distributed to quake-hit regions, it added.

The death toll from the earthquakes that hit Turkiye and Syria has climbed to more than 37,000, Reuters reported.

On Sunday, a Chinese rescue team continued to search for survivors and survey buildings that had collapsed in Antakya in Turkiye's southern Hatay province after the magnitude 7.8 and magnitude 7.5 earthquakes hit the region, the team said in a statement.

Together with their Turkish counterparts, Chinese rescuers pulled a man in his 50s out of rubble in the afternoon and found three other victims. Since the team's arrival in Turkiye on Wednesday, it has saved six lives, it added.

The 82-member Chinese rescue team has earned respect and trust from the local people and other rescuers in Turkiye, Zhao Ming, head of the team, said in a recent interview with China Central Television.

"The locals' hopes always rise when we arrive at a site to carry out search and rescue missions. Our Turkish counterparts have put their trust in us," Zhao said.

Chen Jiahuan, 28, a member of the Baoding-based Blue Sky Rescue Team from Hebei province, told Zonglan News in Shijiazhuang, Hebei that he was moved by the friendship between the Chinese and Turkish people.

"The Turkish people are so enthusiastic about rescue workers. They've touched us with their actions, including lighting fires to help keep us warm and sharing their food with us," said Chen from the civil rescue squad that found two survivors in Malatya province on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the coordination base for Chinese civil rescue forces in Antakya announced on Sunday afternoon local time that it will no longer register new teams as the phase of search and rescue is coming to an end and it's now time to focus on disaster relief.

It urged Chinese rescue teams that have not yet departed to cancel or suspend their trips to the disaster zones in Turkiye and Syria to not increase the burden on the disaster-stricken countries. Also, the teams that concluded rescue missions need to plan to leave the country, which is facing complicated security and environmental issues after the earthquakes.