3 Chinese nationals rescued as earthquake devastates Turkey and Syria; Hong Kong team arrives to join mercy mission
- Rescued Chinese nationals said to be in ‘good condition’ and embassies in Turkey and Syria on alert to help people where needed
- City’s 59-strong team, including firefighters and medical personnel, arrives in Turkey on Thursday
Three Chinese nationals have been rescued on the border between Turkey and Syria after an earthquake devastated both countries, the Chinese foreign ministry announced, as a specialist team from Hong Kong arrived in the devastated Turkish city of Adana to help in the search for survivors.
Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Thursday said the trio were in good condition and embassies in Turkey and Syria were in close contact with Chinese communities, businesses and students to provide round-the-clock help if needed.
“We have yet to receive other reports of casualties concerning Chinese citizens,” Mao said.
Hong Kong’s Security Bureau announced on its Facebook page that the 59-strong rescue team arrived in Turkey at 4pm on Thursday and that a briefing had been held at the airport before they flew on to Adana, a southern city of 1.7 million people.
The team included 49 members of the Fire Services Department urban search and rescue team. There are also two doctors and two nurses from the Department of Health, as well as six Security Bureau and Immigration Department staff.
Two sniffer rescue dogs – springer spaniels Umi and Twix – also joined the Hong Kong mercy mission. The pair were among the first group of search and rescue dogs trained by the Fire Services Department.
Twix, which is one year and eight months old, was involved in the crane tower collapse on Anderson Road last September where three men died, while two-year-old Umi was a product of the first joint breeding programme run by the Customs and Excise Department and the Fire Services Department.