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| Members of the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) rescue a man from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey, Thursday (local time). Courtesy of KDRT |
Yoon offers condolences to Turkey
By Lee Hyo-jin
Members of Korea's rescue team deployed in quake-stricken areas of Turkey have managed to save five people from the rubble on Thursday morning (local time), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) launched its rescue operation early Thursday morning, after setting up a base camp near a high school in Antakya, Hatay Province.
Hours later, around 6:37 a.m., rescuers pulled out a man in his mid-70s from the ruins of a building. The survivor was conscious and was in relatively stable condition. The authorities added that the rescue team recovered four bodies from the same site.
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| Members of the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) rescue a man in his 70s from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey, Thursday (local time). Courtesy of KDRT |
Around 10 a.m., the rescue team saved two family members ― a two-year-old girl and her father in his 40s.
The rescuers also pulled out a 35-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl.
The 118-member KDRT comprised mainly of firefighters and army personnel, landed at Gaziantep Airport in southeastern Turkey Wednesday morning to help with search and rescue operations, after the region was hit by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Monday, followed by a series of aftershocks. It is the largest-ever Korean rescue team to be dispatched for an international relief mission.
Yoon expressed gratitude for the KDRT's rescue efforts, encouraging them to do their best in assisting the people of Turkey, which he described as a "blood brother nation" that sent 15,000 soldiers to fight in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Turkish people living in Korea are also rushing to organize fundraising campaigns for their homeland.
Oh Sinan Ozturk, the CEO of Kervan Group, a chain of Turkish restaurants, said, "My workers and I were devastated after hearing the news. Some of my employees are still in shock from the deaths of their families or relatives."
Ozturk said he has opened a fundraising campaign to be carried out for the next two weeks.
Members of the Korea-Turkiye Friendship Association, a non-governmental organization established to promote ties between the two countries, is also extending a helping hand.
"We have raised over 100 million won ($79,000) in just two days. We will continue collecting money for about a week and deliver the funds to the victims through the Turkish Embassy in Seoul," said Lee Hee-soo, the secretary-general of the association and an emeritus professor of cultural anthropology at Hanyang University.
The Turkish Embassy in Seoul, for its part, shared on its Facebook page a list of items that are urgently needed so as to help the victims of the earthquake. They include winter clothing, tents, beds, blankets and canned food items.
The embassy also shared a link (http://www.afad.gov.tr/depremkampanyasi2) for those wishing to make cash donations.
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| President Yoon Suk Yeol holds Turkish ambassador Murat Tamer's hands, while offering his condolences for the victims of the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey, during his visit to the Turkish embassy in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of presidential office |
Meanwhile, President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday visited the Turkish embassy in Seoul to offer his condolences to the victims of the deadly earthquake that ravaged the southern region of Turkey.
"Korea will stand together with the people of Turkey, our brother nation, so that they can overcome the sadness and despair," he was quoted as telling Turkish Ambassador Murat Tamer at the embassy.
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| "Korea will stand together with the people of Turkey, our brother nation, so that they can rise from sorrow and despair to courage and hope," President Yoon wrote in the condolences book at the embassy. Courtesy of presidential office |
He told the envoy that the Korean rescue team dispatched to Turkey is doing its best to save lives and that assistance is being offered, not only from the government, but also from the private sector.
The ambassador delivered the gratitude expressed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Korean government for its assistance and support.
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