BEIJING -- Rescue teams dispatched by the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region returned to Beijing on a chartered plane last Friday afternoon, after completing their rescue missions in Turkiye, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

After arriving in the affected area on Feb 8, the Chinese rescue teams carried out search and rescue operations in the southern Turkish province of Hatay near the epicenter of the earthquake, said Zhao Ming, head of the Chinese rescue team.

The team searched and evaluated 87 buildings with a total area of over 700,000 square meters. They rescued six trapped survivors and located 11 people who had died in the disaster.

Members of rescue teams dispatched by the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong who returned from quakehit Turkiye disembark from a chartered plane at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Feb 17, 2023. The rescue teams returned to Beijing on Friday after completing their rescue missions in Turkiye.