Issued on:
International aid teams have rushed to Turkey in the wake of the devastating twin earthquakes that flattened towns and cities in the country’s south as well as in neighbouring Syria. In the Turkish city of Osmaniye, a team of French rescue workers spent the night digging through the rubble in an increasingly desperate search for survivors. FRANCE 24’s Shona Bhattacharyya, Ludovic de Foucard and Hussein Assad sent this report.
Around 70 countries are sending rescue teams and other aid to Turkey, where the death toll has risen to more than 6,200 as more bodies are pulled from the rubble of thousands of buildings knocked down by Monday’s powerful tremors.
>> Live: Search for survivors intensifies as Turkey-Syria quake death toll tops 8,000
In the city of Osmaniye, a team of 74 French army personnel deployed on Tuesday, equipped with sniffer dogs, medical workers and drone pilots. They will remain in the country for as long as necessary.
“We stand in solidarity with the Turkish public in this terrible tragedy. We’re doing everything we can to support them,” said the unit’s commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Chauveaux. “We’re at the disposal of Turkish authorities, they’re the ones telling us where to look for potential victims.”
Click on the player above to watch the full report.
