site.bta27-Strong Team of Bulgarian Volunteers' Association Leaves for Quake-Hit Area in Turkiye

A team of 27 members of the National Association of Volunteers in the Republic of Bulgaria left for the regions affected by the earthquake in Turkiye, the group's leader Georgy Vlaykov told BTA. Around 15 people will leave from Plovdiv while the rest are from Sofia and other cities in the country.

The team is comprised of volunteers from Cave Rescue Bulgaria, the Mayday unit, Plovdiv 11 and Emergency Rescue - Plovdiv. Some colleagues have experience, others are trained and have completed first aid courses for earthquake situations, explained Vlaykov, who is a paramedic. Among the members of the team there are doctors and a number of specialists in various fields aged from 20 to 50.

"We've all seen photos and videos, there are many destroyed buildings, many missing people, and the number of casualties is rising by the hour," the volunteer said. According to him the situation is complicated because no one knows what's going on in Syria.

"We are going there to do what we have been training for for so many years," Vlaykov commented.

The volunteers are prepared for extreme winter conditions. "We are going to work on 24-hour shifts, because time is precious in cases like this", the volunteer added.

The team is leaving from Plovdiv on February 7. They will travel by four buses and two off-road jeeps. The team has enough medical equipment and supplies, rescue gear, a parabolic microphone for searching survivors underneath ruined buildings.