The Government of Mexico has sent this Tuesday morning a group of specialists in search and rescue tasks to help in Turkey after the magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes that occurred early Monday morning in that country and in Syria. The group is made up of 93 members of the Ministry of National Defense, 37 members of the Ministry of the Navy, 15 members of the Red Cross and 5 officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, 12 rescue dogs, known in Mexico for helping to find people among the rubble, were also included in the Mexican brigade that flies to the city of Adana, Turkey, starting at 7:25 in the morning.
Starting this Tuesday night, the Frida Rescue Group of the Secretary of the Navy, named after the rescue dog who became famous during the search for the 2017 earthquake in Mexico City, arrived at the facilities of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) wearing shirts with the photograph of the famous labrador retriever dog. Military members of the Red Cross and diplomats sent to the mission also arrived at the airport in a plane provided by the Mexican Air Force. According to the Secretary of National Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, the group will take 20 hours to reach its destination, counting the stops it will have to make in Canada and Ireland.
“Mexico does this in homage to its tradition of solidarity, of support for other peoples and of course keeping in mind what our experience was, both in 1985 and in 2017, of international solidarity,” said the Secretary of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Ebrard, Tuesday night when announcing takeoff preparations.
For his part, İlhan Kemal TUĞ, Turkey’s ambassador to Mexico, thanked Mexico for the help. “Turkey and Mexico have always been strategic partners, however, today I think that this partnership has increased to the next level. The solidarity and messages of support that we have received have been magnificent since the report, and we greatly appreciate all the support that has been given to us, ”he said.
Los Topos de México get ready to travel to Turkey
In addition to Frida, the Topos de México are also known for their help in rescue efforts. The group, created after the earthquake of September 19, 1985, offered volunteers to travel to Turkey through their social networks.
According to Iván Barrientos, a member of the Topos Tlatelolco Rescue Brigade, there are 15 people willing to help with humanitarian efforts in southern Turkey and northern Syria, after the earthquakes that have left more than 7,000 people dead and 29,000 injured in both countries. They are waiting for visas to be issued, as announced by the Mexican foreign minister, so that they can leave for Turkey on a commercial flight this Thursday morning.
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