ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s search and rescue team left for Islamabad from Istanbul on Thursday evening after a 17-day mission following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6 that killed more than 48,000 people in Turkiye and Syria and left millions homeless.
The number of people killed in Turkiye has risen to 43,556, Turkish authorities said on Thursday, while in Syria the death toll was close to 6,000. The United Nations said more than 4,500 were killed in Syria’s rebel-held northwest, and the Syrian government said 1,414 people died in the area under its control.
Since the quake, Pakistan has sent multiple planeloads of relief goods to Turkiye and Syria and remained at the forefront of rescue efforts.
“After conducting 17-day search and rescue operation in Adiyaman, the Pakistan Search and Rescue team left for Pakistan from Istanbul tonight. Through relentless efforts, the team managed to rescue multiple precious lives,” the foreign office said in a statement.
A farewell ceremony for the Pakistan team was held in Istanbul on Thursday and attended by Deputy Governor of Istanbul, Özlem Bozkurt Gevrek. Ambassador of Pakistan to Turkiye, Dr. Yousaf Junaid, Deputy Ambassador Zeynep Kaleli of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkish disaster management authority Coordinator for İstanbul, Seval Dedeoğlu, and other dignitaries team were present as the Pakistan team was sent off “with a loud round of applause and appreciation.”
The Pakistan team will reach Islamabad at 4am on Friday morning.
“Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) squad from Pakistan comprised of a 33-member Pakistan Army Urban search and rescue team and 53-member Rescue 1122 team,” the foreign office said.
“Both teams were among the first ones to arrive at Adiyaman on 7th February 2023, where they successfully made miraculous live evacuations. In total, 28 live evacuations were made by both teams. 14 live evacuations were made exclusively by the Pakistani teams, whereas 14 evacuations were made with the support of other rescue teams present on ground.”
Bidding farewell to the team, Gevrek thanked Pakistan for its support in wake of the devastating earthquake.
