The government has decided on Monday to send to Turkey a RO-USAR team, personnel specialized in search and rescue interventions with the Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), to provide support to the country heavily hit by last night’s earthquake, according to Agerpres.

The decision was made in a meeting of the National Committee for Emergency Situations, convened by prime minister Nicolae Ciuca at the proposal of the Department for Emergency Situations, following consultation with president Klaus Iohannis.

According to a Government release, the Department for Emergency Situations, through the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, in its capacity as the national contact point, received from the Emergency Response Coordination Center of the European Commission (ERCC), through the Common Emergency Communication and Information System (CECIS), the request of the Turkish authorities for the granting of international assistance, considering the emergency situation generated by the 7.8-magnitude quake that hit the country last night.

„Following the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the Government of Romania decided to send a RO-USAR team, specialized personnel for intervention in such situations with the IGSU, to Turkey, the country heavily affected by last night’s earthquake. The support offered by the Romanian state was accepted by the Turkish authorities, specifying, at the same time, that the IGSU rescue teams, together with the SMURD Bucharest medical team (an integral part of INSARAG), together with the Romanian Air Force personnel with the MApN [the Ministry of National Defence], are already prepared for this support mission,” the press release states.

The cited source specifies that the support will be granted based on the request for international assistance formulated by the Government of the Republic of Turkey under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

„Romania continues to honour its international commitments, remaining a partner in solidarity to states facing major emergency situations,” further informs the press release.

Agerpres