BNT envoys in Türkiye : Rescue teams search for survivors under the rubble of buildings brought down by the quake in Adana

A BNT team is in Adana, Türkiye, where Bulgarian rescue teams and equipment have arrived over the past day to help the victims of the devastating earthquakes.

Ten buildings have collapsed in Adana, but the damage around them is huge. There are between 20-30 people trapped under one of them and rescue teams are struggling to find them. Last night, shortly after 2 o'clock, more humanitarian aid from Bulgaria and rescue teams arrived in the city - 12 people from the Mountain Rescue Service and five dogs to help.

Bulgaria was the first European country to send humanitarian aid and rescue teams to Türkiye after quake

There are many rescue teams from other countries as well. In Adana, most of the shops are closed in tribute to the dead. A 7-day mourning has been declared in Türkiye.

So far there is information about only one Bulgarian who is reported as missing in the town of Iskenderun, Bulgaria’s ambassador to Türkiye, Angel Cholakov, told BNT. on February 7.

"Our first teams - 19 people, began to work immediately after their arrival, so far they have worked at two sites in the Adana area. The biggest destructions are in Pazardzhik and Gaziantep. In Iskenderun, we still have a missing compatriot - a Bulgarian citizen with dual citizenship. The rescue operations are continuing, but no contact with him has been established yet," Ambassador Cholakov said.

The Bulgarian volunteers arrived yesterday, February 6, in two Spartan airplanes. They started work immediately after their arrival and only withdrew for a short break at noon today.

Today we are coming to a third site. There is information about people buried, but unfortunately they are so deep that the dogs cannot do the job," said Krasi Georgiev from the Mountain Rescue Service.