The coastal city of Samandag on February 21, 2023, a day after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Turkey’s southern province of Hatay, the hardest hit by a February 6 tremor which left more than 41,000 dead in the country, the disaster response agency AFAD said. (Photo by Bulent Kilic)

The concept of a national urban search and rescue (USAR) team set up for large-scale natural or man-made disasters is rather new in Thailand. The country’s only USAR team has just returned from its first international mission, aiding search efforts following the devastating earthquake that levelled thousands of buildings in southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6.

 

USAR Thailand was set up in 2014 but its status as a national USAR team was only officially recognized by the National Emergency Operations Center on February 2 last year, according to the Interior Ministry’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).

 

The national USAR team comes under the department, which is working with relevant state agencies and private entities to ensure its potential and capabilities meet international standards.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/turkey-earthquake-a-daunting-debut-for-thailands-international-rescue-team/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-02-23

 

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They should have an easy to remember team name. How about International Rescue?