By The Canadian Press on February 10, 2023.
A search and rescue team from British Columbia has taken part in the successful rescue of a woman from earthquake rubble in Turkey, more than four days after the tremor hit. Footage by the CBC showed members of the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue team being thanked and embraced by Turkish colleagues on the scene, moments after the dust-covered woman was taken to an ambulance in the town of Adiyaman. The volunteer Canadian team had earlier shared photos on social media showing them at work in Adiyaman, where Turkey’s consul general in Vancouver said they had been deployed early Thursday. The Burnaby team is the only Canadian rescue crew in the quake zone, after the consulate said a deadline for others to participate had expired. B.C.’s Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma says on Twitter that the government is “incredibly proud,” and remains in daily contact with federal authorities to provide help. A post on the Burnaby search team’s Facebook page says it is “getting reports of trapped people messaging on their phones for help” after what it said was a long day at work in the town in southeast Turkey. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2023. 8