Speaking at a farewell ceremony held for the team at Hatay airport on February 22 (local time), Vietnamese Ambassador to Turkey Do Son Hai noted that the Vietnam People’s Army group, along with another from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security, has been highly appreciated and won the trust of local residents and authorities as well as international forces.
Their presence in Turkey has contributed to fostering the relations between the two countries, the diplomat said.
From February 13-22, the team searched 31 locations in Antakya, helping to discover 15 sites with victims trapped under the rubble, including two places with signs of survival. They handed over the sites to the local rescue force to bring 28 dead bodies out.
During that process, they coordinated with the Bahraini and Mexican teams to find out three sites with 10 corpses.
The 76-strong search and rescue team of the Vietnam People’s Army, departed for Turkey on February 12 night to assist the country in recovery efforts following the devastating earthquake./.
