Philippines joins search for Turkey earthquake survivors

The Philippine Search and Rescue Group has joined teams from all over the world in search for survivors of the powerful earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, according to Raffy Tima's report on “24 Oras."

The team includes 82 personnel from the Department of Health (DOH), Armed Forces of the Philippines, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, and Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

They carried devices that could detect survivors under the rubble as they worked with other international teams.

Meanwhile, the second batch of Search and Rescue personnel from AFP in Pasig and Davao is also being prepared, depending on Turkey's request.

“Right now, as we speak, the team is already deployed. So, we were in touch with the team just this afternoon, around 1 o’clock. That is approximately 8 o’clock sa kanila. And they were already given assignments and operational na po yung ating team. Meaning they are in the process of conducting search and rescue. May mga assignment na sila, binigyan na sila ng buildings that they can work on," said OCD Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro.

One of the volunteers, Doctor Ted Esguerra, who also helped in the rescue mission during the Nepal quake in 2015, shared a video of the ongoing search operation.

“‘Yan ang army, ito yung MMDA team. Kasama rin yung iba pang international rescue teams, ‘yung search and rescue team ng Hong Kong, so malaking contingent din. Ito naman sa kabila, Hong Kong din at saka sa French," he said.

"Na-meet namin yung fausi ng French na nakasama namin sa Nepal last 2015. So naging ano ito, naging holding area ito ng international humanitarian operation," Esguerra added.—Sherylin Untalan/LDF, GMA Integrated News