The Republic of Moldova sent an urban search and rescue detachment consisting of 55 rescuers and two search dogs to Turkey. The disaster response team will travel to Turkey with 12 fully autonomous rescue vehicles. In the detaching event, President Maia Sandu wished good luck to the Moldovan rescuers who will assist in rescue efforts in the Turkish settlements hit by the recent earthquakes, IPN reports.

The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations said the rescuers set off to Turkey by road in the evening of February 6 so that the 12 rescue vehicles reach the affected areas as swiftly as possible. These properly outfitted vehicles can help save more people than when using small pieces of equipment only.



The convoy of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations of Moldova will cross Romania and Bulgaria to reach Turkey along the route Chisinau - Giurgiulești - Silistra - Edirne - Gaziantep. The trip will last for about 30 hours. Moldova’s urban search and rescue detachment will work in Turkey for at least seven days.



“Dear rescuers, you have to cover a long distance ad to perform a difficult mission. You will work without breaks struggling to save as many human lives as possible. We thank you for your devotion and will be waiting for you to return home safe,” said President Sandu.

According to foreign press reports, the devastating quakes that struck southeast Turkey and northwest Syria claimed over 4,000 lives and injured more than 15,000 people.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova said the hotline for consular emergencies is: +90 541 687 21 04 (active permanently for Moldovans experiencing emergency situations, such as death, accidents, dangers, extraordinary situations or calamities), while the email addresses are: ankara@mfa.gov.md and consulat.ankara@mfa.gov.md.