President Erdogan Appreciates Assistance from Indonesian SAR Team
- ANTARA/HO-KBRI Ankara.
VIVA – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has conveyed his appreciation for the help from the Indonesian rescue (SAR) team in evacuating and handling the victims of a huge earthquake in Turkiye, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said.
“Last night (on Wednesday evening), I called and talked with President Erdogan about our medical and SAR teams who are already in Turkey, and he expressed his appreciation (for the teams),” President Joko Widodo said, according to a press release issued on Thursday.
He revealed that conversation during a video call with the INASAR (Indonesian Search and Rescue) team and the Indonesian Ambassador to Turkiye Lalu Muhammad Iqbal at the National Search and Rescue Agency’s (Basarnas’) headquarters here on Thursday.
President Jokowi made a video call to Indonesian SAR team in Turkey
- Arianti Widya
Furthermore, The Indonesian President also received a report from the chief of the INASAR team involved in the humanitarian mission in Turkiye, Yopi Heryadi.
"How is the news and condition in Turkey?" asked President Joko Widodo who was accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, and Head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Air Marshal Henri Alfiandi.
"Alhamdulillah, all teams from Indonesia and the Indonesian Embassy are in good health, Mr. President," replied Yopi Haryadi, Head of Sub-Directorate of Alert and Training of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) who served as the leader of the INASAR team in the operation in Turkey.
President Joko Widodo then asked about the latest conditions in Turkey. According to Yopi, currently, the death toll from the Turkish earthquake has exceeded 30,000 victims. The INASAR team continues to go to the field to help evacuate victims who are still under the rubble of buildings.
In his report, Yopi Heryadi said that the INASAR team of 48 personnel and 2 sniffer dogs arrived at Adana Airport on Monday, February 12, 2023.
Upon their arrival, the team members immediately established a base of operation to support their SAR mission in 7 areas, including Antakya, Haraparas, Çekmece, and Cebrail in Hatay province, Turkiye.
"In addition, we have also placed two personnel as a reception and departure center part of the UN to receive the arrival and return of the international USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) team and one person in the USAR Coordination Cell as the coordination center for international SAR operations in Turkiye," he continued.
His team is continuing to help in searching for and evacuating victims who are still trapped under the rubble. The disaster has also devastated several regions in Syria, which shares a border with Turkiye, claiming more than 5 thousand lives.
Indonesia dispatched two batches of logistical assistance, INASAR teams, and medical teams to help the victims of the disaster on February 11 and February 13. The government is planning to send more assistance to Turkiye and Syria on February 20.
