Newsfeed: Turkey earthquake deployment 2023
REDOG deploys a major team of 14 dogs and 22 humans to the earthquake region near the Turkish-Syrian border.
Press releases
The dogs helping find earthquake survivors in Turkey. Gian Forster and Matthias Gerber, teamleaders REDOG in Aljazeera. 14th february 2023 Link
Time running out for Turkey earthquake survivors. swissinfo. 9th february 2023 Link
Swiss humanitarian aid deployed in Turkey and Syria. swissinfo. 7th february 2023 Link
The earthquake
Parts of Turkey and Syria were devastated over night by a catastrophic earthquake. According to the information by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicentre was in the Turkish region of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. With a magnitude of 7.8, it is the worst earthquake recorded in the region since at least 1944. The crack spread more than 100 kilometres from the epicentre to the north-east and south-west, caused severe quakes over a large region between Malatya, Adana and the Syrian town, Homs, and caused the collapse of thousands of buildings. Sever aftershocks along the area of the suspected break followed, the most severe of which reached a magnitude of 6.7.
6 February 2023
Dog handlers, veterinarians, Technical Detection experts, deployment leaders: they pack their backpacks and are on their way to Zurich Airport to search for people buried under rubble in the disaster region near the Turkish-Syrian border, Two teams leave tonight: Together with Swiss Rescue, 12 REDOG members and eight dogs are deployed. Another team with 10 persons and six dogs support our Turkish partner rescue organisation, GEA, with their rescue work.
7 February 2023 – 5 am
Since arriving, part of the REDOG team has been supporting the GEA rescue teams in the town of Iskenderun in the region of Hatay near the Syrian border.
Swiss Rescue, if which the second REDOG team is a part, is deployed to Günyzi.
7 February 2023 – 8 pm
Amongst all of the terrible news about thousands of victims, one piece of good news from our team: This afternoon, the REDOG search and rescue dog team found human scent under the rubble in Iskenderun. The rescuers of our partner organisation, GEA, rescue four people alive from the rubble after hours of work. It is a family with two teenagers. This takes the number of people rescued by GEA p to 20. Interview with team leader Gian Forster (in German)
8 February 2023 – during the day
Our Turkish partner organisation, GEA, does wonderful work: They have rescued 24 people alive from the rubble by now.
8 February 2023 – 7 pm
The Swiss Rescue rescue teams also have good news to report: During their search for earthquake survivors, Swiss Rescue has been able to rescue five persons alive from the rubble up to now. Swiss Rescue members conducted their searches in various locations in Hatay, using our Technical Detection experts and search dogs. The survivors are a young women who was rescued on Tuesday as well as two boys and one man. They were looked after by rescue team members after being rescued. Newsfeed Swiss Rescue
The REDOG rescue teams are unharmed and remain highly committed despite the situation being unimaginably terrible and the rescue attempts on rubble extremely difficult. There is a lot of glass between the rubble. The disaster is massive and the suffering unbelievable. The teams work 12 hours at a time. They work in alternating shifts.
9 February 2023
The Swiss Rescue experts have managed to rescue nine persons by now.
10 February 2023
❗️ The Swiss Rescue @SwissHumAidUnit and REDOG team rescue a mother and her baby. (Photo: EDA) pic.twitter.com/QJEbJ7SYqg
Our search dogs located a mother and her baby under the rubble and the Swiss Rescue team members were able to rescue them alive. Swiss Rescue has rescued eleven persons up to now, including two infants. This takes up the total number of people rescued alive from the rubble thanks to the localisation of the dogs and Technical Detection experts deployed to Turkey and the efforts of the members of Swiss Rescue and the Turkish organisation, GEA up to 39.
99 international search and rescue teams with 8,513 members from 68 countries are deployed in the disaster regions under the coordination of the Turkish authorities. 100 hours after the first quake, however, the chances of survival of the people trapped under the rubble decrease. Particularly the lack of water and food as well as temperatures below freezing pose great danger for the survivors of the disaster.
11 February 2023 – evening
After five days of exhausting searches for survivors in the earthquake region, the aid teams suspend their work as there have been riots, allegedly. According to various information sources, the safety situation in the Turkish region of Hatay has changed in recent hours, report the Technisches Hilfswerk (THW), the I.S.A.R. Germany aid organisation and the Austrian army.
The REDOG teams as well as Swiss Rescue as well as their partner organisation GEA are safe. However, the current safety situation in Turkey affects the work of the dog teams that cooperate with our partner, GEA. Because we originally planned to widen the radius of our work from the base in Iskenderun (region of Hatay). But because the safety of the rescue teams cannot be assured in the regions further afield, the teams had to withdraw to their main camp. “We did not have any major problems on site, but were informed that the situation in the region is unstable,” comments deployment leader, Linda Hornisberger.
The situation is Iskenderun is quiet and there is no danger. The army controls the regions where our Turkish partner organisation, GEA, is camped. Matthias Gerber, deputy regional manager of REDOG Search and Rescue, who is deployed as well, reports that the population remains quiet and friendly. There have not been any arguments or confrontations at any time. “We are on site together with our Turkish team. That most certainly is an advantage.” They are locals who also talk to the people and are well able to assess the situation.
Swiss Rescue, of which the second REDOG team is a part, closely monitors the safety situation, comments Sebastian Eugster, head of the Swiss rescue teams. The safety measures were increased accordingly (no details are available). Safety is assured at the base of operation, their accommodation. At present, they remain available for deployments when called up by the coordination unit.
11 February 2023
Today, Sunday, the return phase started for Swiss Rescue. The organisation reports that it managed to complete the disaster areas it had been allocated. The return is agreed with the Turkish authorities and coordinated with the other international rescue teams. Our two REDOG teams, which supported the Turkish rescue organisation, GEA, are also bound for home. They will meet up with Swiss Rescue in Adana and fly home together. Further information about the return of Swiss Rescue and REDOG to Switzerland will be provided tomorrow, Monday, during the morning.
Yesterday, Saturday, a second group of 12 persons of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) arrived in Hatay. The team focusses on providing the affected local people with survival aid. In particular, there is a huge need for winter-proof accommodation, clarification about the further use of buildings that are still standing and basic medical care. Swiss Rescue handed over its duties to the SHA team Sunday afternoon. 300 winter-proof family tents for 1,500 persons were also transported from Switzerland to Turkey yesterday on a regular commercial flight. The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) will distribute the family tents.
regarding the support of EDA in Syria: a team of four experts will travel from Damascus toward Aleppo on Monday to deliver Switzerland's emergency aid on site. Like in Turkey, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) plans to deliver 300 winter-proof family tents for 1,500 persons to Syria. Clarifications in respect are ongoing.
12 February 2023 – evening
❗️RESCUED AFTER 7 DAYS TRAPPED UNDER THE RUBBLE
Our partner, GEA, rescued a woman from under the rubble in Iskenderun in recent hours. Our dog teams are currently searching for further relatives.
