General

Brazil sends humanitarian aid to Turkey

Brazilian rescue team will try to find and support victims

Agência Brasil

Published on 10/02/2023 - 10:32

Brasília

Ministério da Saúde envia ajuda humanitária à Turquia. — © Ministério da Saúde

A Brazilian airplane transporting humanitarian aid arrived on Thursday night (Feb. 9) in Ankara. Its final destination will be Adana, a city in southern Turkey, on the border with Syria, the epicenter of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale that hit the area last Monday (Feb. 6).

The operation involves 42 people, including 34 specialist firefighters from the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santo, besides medical and civil defense personnel. The Brazilian team specialized in urban search and rescue should remain on site for two weeks to help locating and supporting the victims.

Around six tons of equipment has been sent to Turkey to support the teams during their work, as well as four sniffer dogs.

Local authorities estimate 16,000 people have died as a result of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Health Ministry

Brazil’s Ministry of Health hast sent to Turkey a load of emergency items, weighing approximately 750 kg, to assist up to 500 people for a period of three months, or 1.5 thousand people during one month.