Six Illawarra firefighters have returned to Australia after assisting in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on February 6.
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The group were part of an elite urban search and rescue team that was sent into the rubble of southern Turkey to find what survivors they could.
The firefighters used over 22 tonnes of equipment to search 27 sites in the hardest-hit province of Hatay, and were able to return 34 dead victims to their loved ones.
Fire and Rescue NSW commissioner Paul Baxter said the team, which includes two Wollongong Fire Station team members, had a tough mission and now had some deserved rest.
"Our firefighters ensured victims of the quakes were treated with dignity and survivors felt supported, but we know it is work that is both physically and mentally demanding," he said.
As of Saturday, the death toll in the quake has passed 50,000, with many of the dead Syrian refugees fleeing the war in their homeland. The earthquake is the deadliest natural disaster in Turkey's modern history.
Illawarra lead firefighter and trainer Shane Bonsall told The Mercury earlier in February that the team would have to deal with difficult conditions.
"It's going to be cold - it's been minus 10 at night - and they're going to be working 24 hours a day over there," he said.
The NSW contingent joined an international coalition of rescuers who have been deployed to the region to assist with getting victims, alive and dead, out from underneath the rubble.
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke said the work undertaken by Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) 'AUS02' had been of immediate support.
"I am very thankful to our Urban Search and Rescue specialists for selflessly answering the call to help and the immense contribution they made while on the ground in Hatay," she said.
Now Turkey and Syria begin the daunting task of rebuilding.
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