KZN emergency response team provides aid in Turkey
A KwaZulu-Natal emergency response team has already rolled up its sleeves after touching down in Antakya in Turkey.
MediResponse, which operates mostly on the north coast, travelled there with a team from Gift of the Givers.
They'll be among dozens of teams from across the world that have been arriving in Turkey and Syria to lend a hand in search and rescue efforts following Monday's earthquake.
Medi Response's Paul Herbst says they're getting down to work.
"After a four-day long travel, the conditions here are extremely cold. The temperatures came to -2. The rescuers woke up this morning to snow again. Last night, the Chinese team was lucky to get four lives out from a trapped building."
READ: More SA dogs, crews to assist in quake-hit Türkiye, Syria
Herbst says reports from the ground indicate that three percent of collapsed buildings have since been searched and cleared of survivors.
Teams conducting operations have located and rescued people throughout the course of the day in sub-zero temperatures.
He says the South African teams have already been sent out to their designated locations to begin their searches.
"The SA team is in extremely high spirits. We have got five dogs joining us from Police Search and Rescue that will come through today, which will make the search much better. Gift of the Giver is definitely doing a great job out here and we hope to find some people today."
