Poland has expressed its readiness to aid Turkey in its efforts to rescue survivors of the devastating earthquake that struck near the eastern Turkish city of Van on Sunday.
The death toll from the earthquake, which according to the US Geological Survey had a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter Scale, currently stands at 217. Several media sources have reported that as many as 1,000 people could have been killed.
“It is with great sadness that I learn about the earthquake that took place in Turkey, which took the lives of many people,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote in a statement on the website of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.
“In the spirit of friendship that unifies our nations, I am sending my deepest condolences to the victims of this catastrophe.”
The prime minister also declared Poland’s willingness to help with the rescue mission.
Paweł Frątczak, the spokesperson for the commander-in-chief for the National Fire Brigade (PSP), told WBJ.pl that the Polish rescue team is prepared to aid Turkey, if called upon.
“We are ready to help Turkey. We can send up to 60 rescuers and 12 search dogs. All we need is a sign from the Turkish government,” said Mr Frątczak.
He added that the Polish rescue team is among just a few in the world certified by the UN to execute such missions. Indeed, Mr Frątczak said that the Polish rescue team had actually trained Turkish rescue teams for situations such as these.
However, though the death toll is rising, “it is unlikely that Turkey will ask Poland for help,” Mr Frątczak said.
Patrycja Ozcan, the first secretary of the Polish Embassy in Ankara, told TVN24 that Turkey has already accepted the help of Iran, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria.
Izabela Depczyk
From Warsaw Business Journal
via Poland ready to assist Turkey in earthquake rescue efforts – Warsaw Business Journal – Online Portal – wbj.pl.
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