Hong Kong dispatches rescue team to Turkey as families in city wait for news of loved ones after catastrophic quake leaves 11,000 dead
- Team of 59 rescuers and two dogs is seen off by city’s No 2 official on Wednesday night
- Turkish consulate in Hong Kong expresses condolences to those whose loved ones have died during tragedy and warns time is running out for trapped survivors
Hong Kong dispatched a 59-strong team and two rescue dogs to Turkey on Wednesday night to help search for survivors after the southern part of the country and Syria were struck by a catastrophic earthquake.
The team departed as members of the city’s Syrian and Turkish communities waited for news of loved ones trapped beneath the rubble of buildings destroyed by the quake, which has killed more than 11,000 people as of Wednesday and left thousands more homeless.
Beijing earlier expressed its sympathy and support for Syria, offering 30 million yuan (US$4.42 million) in emergency humanitarian aid and pledging US$2 million in cash assistance, in addition to other resources and its own rescue mission.
City leader John Lee Ka-chiu, who is on a business trip in the United Arab Emirates, said the Hong Kong rescue team included Security Bureau and Immigration Department personnel, the Fire Services Department’s urban search and rescue team, firefighters and ambulance crews, as well as medical workers from the Department of Health.
“I would like to thank members of the search and rescue team for their professionalism in assisting the Turkish authorities in saving lives,” he wrote on social media. “The [Hong Kong] government will fully support the search and rescue team with all their needs so that they can complete the rescue work smoothly.”