Taiwan's Rescue Personnel Departs for Turkey 土國強震待救援 台灣搜救隊分批出動

Rescue efforts are continuing after two major earthquakes rocked wide swaths of Turkey and Syria. Death toll has climbed past 3,700 after Turkey updates figures. Search and rescue operations were complicated by frigid nighttime temperatures. A search and rescue team from Taiwan comprising 40 personnel and three dogs departed last night to assist in the disaster relief, and an additional 90 personnel departed this morning.

Two powerful earthquakes with a magnitude of above 7 struck Turkey on Feb. 6, leaving scenes of devastation like this one. Many people remained trapped under the rubble. Temperatures plummeted as night fell, and there was an electricity shortage. Newly homeless residents could only light fires to stay warm. Taiwan sprang into action after hearing the news. A group of 40 search and rescue personnel and three dogs departed Taiwan for Turkey on Feb. 6 along with three tons of search and rescue equipment.

When Taiwan was hit by the 921 earthquake in 1999, one of the first foreign search and rescue teams to arrive to help was from Turkey. A second group of 90 search and rescue personnel and two dogs departed for Turkey on a chartered flight on the morning of Feb. 7.

Lin Yu-chang, Interior Minister: “Air traffic remains chaotic, so after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Turkish government communicated and coordinated, we made plans to send search and rescue teams in two groups.”

Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang and Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Wu saw the search and rescue personnel off at the airport and wished them a successful mission. Thousands have been killed or injured by the earthquakes, and at present, there have been no reports of overseas compatriots or Taiwanese nationals among the victims.

Joseph Wu, Foreign Affairs Minister: “Our rep office conducted a thorough investigation and found there is one household of Taiwanese people in the disaster area. After some hard work, they were rescued, so which means that all our overseas Taiwanese compatriots are safe and sound.”

The government announced that it was donating US$200,000 to Turkey for disaster relief and the relocation of victims. It will coordinate with local governments about extending assistance depending on needs.

建築物冒著大量白煙，土耳其災區一片斷垣殘壁。除了還有生還者被壓在水泥塊底下亟待救援；到了晚間溫度驟降，電力不足，無家可歸的災民更只能靠升火來取暖。援助土耳其強震刻不容緩。台灣搜救隊首批人員40人，加上3隻搜救犬，以及搜救器材3噸，6日晚間整裝出發。

台灣在921地震當時，土耳其救援隊是率先到達台灣的隊伍之一。因此這次土耳其有難，台灣來幫忙。第2批90人、兩隻搜救犬，原定今天早上9時，搭乘長榮航空包機出發；不過多國救難組織皆前往援助，我國昨夜也派出第一批人員趕赴當地，消防署表示暫緩出發，待外交部通知。

內政部長林右昌指出：「空中的交通，也是有紊亂的狀況。所以經過外交部跟土耳其政府，來做進一步的溝通跟協調之後，我們規劃採取兩梯次的救援隊出發。」

林右昌、外交部長吳釗燮，到機場為隊員授旗，希望搜救任務順利圓滿。而這次強震造成嚴重傷亡，經過清查結果，目前暫時沒有接獲台僑或台人傷亡的通報。

外交部長吳釗燮表示：「我們駐館經過清查的結果，是有一戶台灣人士在災區。那但是經過努力之後，他們已經獲救了，所以目前我們台僑一切都安好。」

台灣政府第一時間宣布捐助土耳其20萬美金，用來賑災以及安置災民，希望災區復原工作早日啟動；接下來也將視災區需要，和當地政府協調溝通，伸出援手。