PHOTOS, VIDEO: Hungarian rescue team in Türkiye already saved many lives and work 24/7
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Hungarian rescue units have saved 21 survivors, five children among them, in Türkiye in two days after an earthquake killed over 5,000 people in Türkiye and Syria, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday.
With two further units arriving in the Hatay region in southeast Türkiye on Wednesday, there are now seven units, 156 Hungarians working with 28 dogs to rescue people from the rubble, Szijjártó said. Rescue efforts are now in a critical stage, some 60 hours after the earthquake, he said, and thanked the rescue missions for their work.
Hungarian charities offer aid, launch donation drives
Several Hungarian charities have offered aid and launched online donation drives to help survivors and families in earthquake-hit Turkiye and Syria, they said on Wednesday. The Hungarian Reformed Church Charity said it is providing emergency shelters and supplies to people in need. The Hungarian Red Cross said it is collecting donations in line with requests received from partner organisations the Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent.
This is how Türkiye hails the efforts of the HUNOR team:
The Hungarian Maltese Charity said it is setting up its first mobile clinic in Syria in the city of Latakia, as well as a hotspot providing food, drink, and toiletries to residents of the earthquake-hit area. The charity said in a statement that many Syrians in the area had spent a chilly night in cars for fear of further tremors. It is working together with its local partner, the Greek Catholic Church, to rescue survivors beneath the rubble.
Here are som photos from Syria:
And a video:
According to its statement, Syria has not received as many international rescue teams as Turkiye, because the country is under sanctions and entry is difficult. Electricity and fuel supplies were erratic even before the disaster, while some areas are controlled by armed organisations, making travel difficult, it added. The Hungarian Ecumenical Charity said it is sending aid containing food, hygiene supplies and blankets to the Aleppo region while providing accommodation to families in need.