VPA’s rescue team sent to Turkey completes mission

Hatay (VNA) - By the command from the heart, the rescue team of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA), sent to Hatay province – one of the Turkish localities most affected by the February 6 earthquake, has successfully completed its mission, Maj. Gen. Pham Van Ty has said.

The head of the team, who is Deputy Chief of the Office of the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response, Search and Rescue and Deputy Director of the VPA's Department of Search and Rescue, said that this is the first time the Ministry of National Defence and the VPA have sent personnel and equipment aboard to participate in humanitarian assistance and respond to the earthquake disaster.

However, team members all underwent training and drills and handled some cases on a small scale at home, so they have effectively applied their experience in carrying out rescue work in Turkey, stated Ty.

The team’s use of sniffer dogs, visual and audio observation radar and a wall-penetrating radar system has produced good results, he said, adding that local and international rescue teams and host people have also appreciated the effective command, and implementation of tasks of the Vietnamese team.

Vietnam will apply experience drawn from this search and rescue operation to training and exercises in the country to improve the command and administration organisation of commanders and improve the capacity of rescuers, he added./.