12-member firefighting team to leave Dhaka for Turkey tonight

A 12-member team of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence will leave Dhaka on Wednesday night for Turkey to help search and rescue operations in the aftermath of Monday’s horrific earthquake in the country that claimed over 11,000 lives so far.

The 12-member team will be comprised of a deputy director, two assistant directors, an assistant deputy director, a senior station officer, a leader and six firefighters, said a handout of the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters on Wednesday.

A flight C-130 of Bangladesh Air Force carrying the 12-member team is scheduled to leave Dhaka around 10 pm, said the handout.

The initiative was undertaken in line with the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense Brigadier General Md Main Uddin, said in the handout.

Those who are going to Turkey as rescuers are internationally trained in conducting search and rescue operations in collapsed buildings as per International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) standards.