THE France will deploy a field hospital and another 83 rescuers to Turkey, where the death toll from powerful earthquakes of Monday is steadily increasing, the fire department said today.

This mobile hospital will be able to operate autonomously for at least 15 days and, in addition to providing first aid, will be able to carry out 10-15 surgeries a day, according to a statement issued by the fire department in Gars, southern France.

The Escrim Expeditionary Hospital covers an area of ​​about 2,000 square meters and includes a delivery room, two operating theatres, a laboratory and a pharmacy. There is also a resuscitation unit and rooms for receiving and monitoring the injured. His mission to Turkey may be extended, if deemed necessary, according to the Athens News Agency.

In the framework of the aid that the European Union decided to send to Turkey, the French Civil Protection Directorate, which is subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior, considered it appropriate to develop this field hospital which for “historical reasons” kept in the district of Gar.

A scouting expedition will leave Marseilles tomorrow, Wednesday, with the main objective of determining where it would be most convenient to set up the hospital. On Thursday or Friday they will leave for her Turkey and another 83 rescuers, among whom will be chief physician Isabelle Arnault, a surgeon, two midwives, eight nurses and other staff.
Escrim was last deployed in Guyana in June 2020 and then in Mayotte in January 2021 to help local health authorities deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Turkey’s ambassador expressed “gratitude” for the aid shipment

Turkey’s ambassador to France, Ali Onaner, spoke today to the French television station A2 about his country’s needs in dealing with the devastating earthquake, expressing “gratitude” for the aid sent by France, but also by Greece. Asked by a journalist if “unfortunately, it is more often dramatic situations that bring people together?” Onaner said:You are right. In such situations no one has time to think about any conflicts. And we also have the experience of the 1999 earthquake, when a few weeks apart we had major earthquakes in Turkey and Greece and we were able to provide aid to our neighbor and ally Greece and Greece supported us too.” At this point he repeated, as in his yesterday’s television appearance, that “we are satisfied that today our neighbor and ally Greece supports us”.

Besides, during today’s session of the French National Assembly, MPs and members of the government observed a minute of silence as a tribute to the more than 5,000 dead from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

“France is mobilizing with its partners to provide emergency aid to the affected populations” and “French rescue teams are on the ground to participate in rescue, search and assistance operationss”, underlined the president of the National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet.