Bosnian search and rescue teams return from quake-hit Türkiye

BELGRADE, Serbia

Bosnian search and rescue teams returned home Sunday after spending last week in Türkiye, which was hit by twin earthquakes on Feb. 6.

The teams were greeted with tears and applause by their family members in front of the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the capital Sarajevo.

Sixty-nine members of the Mountain Rescue Service with three dogs and 51 members of the Federal Civil Protection Agency with four dogs took part in search and rescue operations to save the lives of people trapped under the rubble.

Afterward, the teams traveled to the Azici neighborhood of Sarajevo, where they were congratulated by the Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fadil Novalic, and the Turkish ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sadık Babur Girgin.

Novalic said that everyone knew that it was a difficult assignment.

"Neither you nor we could have guessed how difficult the task was. There are some among you who will never forget the scenes you saw there for a lifetime,'' he added.

Girgin told the teams that every life they have saved is worth humanity.

A member of one of the teams, Dzenadin Veladzic, said they worked hard to meet the needs of the Turkish people during their stay.

Türkiye issued a level-4 alert, calling for international aid.

More than 249,000 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, according to Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

More than 9,000 international search and rescue teams have participated in the post-quake operations.

Around 100 countries have offered assistance so far, with many having sent rescue teams.

At least 41,020 people have been killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country’s disaster management agency said Sunday.

The 7.7 and 7.6-magnitude quakes were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces -- Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig and Sanliurfa.

More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in less than 10 hours.