Lebanese Army members preparing to go to Syria to help with rescue operations after a deadly earthquake struck. (Credit: @LebArmy/Twitter)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army will send 15 members of the Engineering Regiment to Syria to participate in earthquake search and rescue operations, the army tweeted Tuesday. A Red Cross team of search and rescue specialists was also been sent to Syria on Tuesday to assist with the “relief operations,” the Lebanese Red Cross tweeted.
"A team of specialists in search and rescue operations is headed today to Syria to participate in relief operations in the affected areas, at the request of the Lebanese and Syrian governments and in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent," the Red Cross said in a tweet.
Headquartered in Damascus, SARC is active in areas of the country controlled by the Syrian government, including parts of Aleppo city hit hard by Monday's deadly earthquake.
The exact number of Lebanese rescuers to be sent to Syria was not specified. L’Orient Today was unable to immediately reach the organization for further comment.
Caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin also announced Monday that Lebanon sent a team of approximately 30 rescue workers to Turkey to help with relief efforts.
Caretaker Minister of Public Works Ali Hamieh, in charge of coordination with Syria, said "Lebanon is ready to fully assist Syria, which has always stood by Lebanon in all the crises it is going through. This is our duty."
More than 5,000 people were killed in southern Turkey and neighboring Syria by the powerful earthquake, followed a few hours later by a very strong aftershock of magnitude 7.5, according to the latest provisional assessment.
Tremors were recorded as far away as Greenland, passing through Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon.