Senegalese firefighters head to quake-hit Turkey

Senegal has sent a 30-member search and rescue team to Turkey to support disaster relief efforts after a devastating quake, which has been described as the “disaster of the century”.

The men belonging to the Senegalese Fire Brigade departed from Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport on Monday. The team will land in Adana before proceeding to the disaster area.

The firefighters will deploy to Hatay where they will participate in search and rescue operations.

While the chances of finding survivors are almost nil, rescue workers are still sifting through the rubble for any signs of life.

The deathtoll from last week’s disaster has topped 35,000 in both Turkey and Syria.

According to the Turkish government, some 1.2 million people have been housed in student residences, more than 206,000 tents have been erected and 400,000 victims evacuated from the devastated areas.

By Africanews