PETALING JAYA: Malaysian rescuers have taken on another major role in earthquake-struck Turkiye, apart from assisting in the search and rescue operations (SAR).
Three members from the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) have been tasked at the Reception Departure Centre (RDC) of the Adana Airport, the main domestic and international hub in Adana city.
They were assigned to coordinate the entry of SAR teams from other countries by Turkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, said the Foreign Affairs Ministry (Wisma Putra).
“Their placement at the RDC is based on the mechanisms and guidelines set by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group.
“The Malaysian SAR team, which was among the first to arrive on site, will also act as the focal point for both Turkiye’s disaster response agency as well as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“They will be replaced by other incoming teams at a later point,” Wisma Putra added in a statement yesterday.
Soon after a 7.8-magnitute earthquake struck southern Turkiye and northern Syria last Monday, Malaysia sent the first team of 70 SMART personnel to Turkiye, followed by the second batch two days later.
Wisma Putra said the Malaysian team had since rescued five survivors.
It revealed that according to team members in Gaziantep, another city some 250km from Adana, tents with winter insulation, blankets, heaters, sleeping bags, mobile toilets and baths, among others, are critically needed there.
“Those wishing to contribute can do so through the Foreign Affairs’ Calamity Fund,” it said, adding that such contributions could get income tax deductions under Subsection 44(6) of the Income Tax Act 1967.
