Two more dead people were retrieved by the Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent (PIAHC) as their search, rescue, and retrieval (SRR) operations continued in the earthquake-battered Turkiye, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) disclosed Wednesday, Feb. 15.
Diego Agustin Mariano, head of OCD joint information center, said the urban search and rescue (USAR) team found the two fatalities after working on a collapsed apartment complex within Sector N in the southern province of Adiyaman on Tuesday, Feb. 14.
This brought to four the total number of dead people they have retrieved since starting their operations last Feb. 10.
They have also assessed a total of 34 buildings so far.
Meanwhile, Mariano said Mayor Abdurrahman Dursun, of the district of Sultangazi in Istanbul, visited the Philippine team to express their gratitude to the Filipino responders.
“We also thank you, we thank your presence, and thank your government for coming such a long way from the Philippines and helping us in our hardest times. I hope that in the future, we can cooperate together,” Dursun told USAR team leader Ranny Magno in their language.
Mayor Dursun then went to check on the field hospital established by the Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team in Adiyaman.
The field hospital has so far catered to 168 ambulatory cases and trauma care patients.
The PEMAT team composed of personnel from the Department of Health (DOH) also provided assistance to some Filipino responders who needed medical care amid the punishing cold weather in Turkiye.