On Monday evening, 50 members of the Rapid Deployment Unit for Search and Rescue Abroad (SEEBA) of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) returned from their operation in Turkey. They arrived at Cologne Bonn Airport late on Monday evening. During their work in Turkey, the SEEBA team and other rescue workers successfully freed two women who had been trapped under rubble for more than 100 hours. Rescue workers from International Search and Rescue Germany (I.S.A.R. Germany) were also on board the airplane.

Germany is making every effort to continue to support the areas affected by the devastating earthquake. The German Air Force will continue to transport relief supplies to Turkey by plane. To date, Germany has provided the Turkish areas affected by the earthquake with supplies worth some 6,927,000 euros. The Syrian region hit by the disaster will receive goods worth approximately 1,530,000 euros.

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser said: “I would like to thank the rescue workers from THW, I.S.A.R. Germany and other aid organisations very much for their help after the devastating earthquake. They did everything they could to save lives and free people trapped or buried under rubble. Their work in the wake of this catastrophe, whose scope we can still hardly imagine, was very difficult and dangerous. We are proud of the volunteer rescue workers who did such an excellent job!

And we will continue to provide our urgently needed support. I am in close contact with Turkey’s Minister of the Interior, Süleyman Soylu, to find out what is needed the most. We are coordinating all our aid with our partners in the EU.

Survivors who have lost everything are now in urgent need of shelter for the winter. The German Air Force continues to bring tents, blankets, camp beds and power generators to the region, and I would like to thank them very much. Cooperation between THW, the German Air Force, the Federal Police, the state governments and aid organisations is excellent.

We are all deeply touched that so many people in Germany are willing to help, especially the German-Turkish and German-Syrian communities.”

Providing winter tents remains an urgent priority. So far, 267 tents from Germany have arrived in Turkey, of which 147 were provided by THW, 70 by the Federal Police and 50 by the federal state of Lower Saxony. In addition, THW has supplied around 1,850 camp beds, winter sleeping bags, blankets, heaters and approximately 240 generators. Several of Germany’s federal states are currently looking into shipping additional tents or are already organising their transport. And many federal states have offered additional help. The Federal Ministry of Health has provided 150 medical ventilators and bedside monitors.

THW is providing northwest Syria with 73 tonnes (368 Euro-pallets) of relief supplies, in particular tents, blankets, heaters and generators. The EU is coordinating the transport of these supplies, which are expected to arrive in the affected region by the end of the week.