JCG Members Talk about Rescue Operations in Turkey

Tokyo, Feb. 16 (Jiji Press)--Fourteen Japan Coast Guard members who joined the government's international disaster relief rescue team in southern Turkey talked about their activities in the earthquake-hit region Thursday.

"We tried to bring as many people as possible to their families," Tadayoshi Kawata, a team member who searched for people trapped under collapsed buildings, told a news conference in Tokyo.

The 14 JCG members returned home Wednesday after eight days of operations through Tuesday in Turkey, hit by the disaster Feb. 6.

They dug through the rubble of collapsed houses and engaged in search and rescue operations for victims, recovering the bodies of six people.

"During our activities, the body of an adult who seemed to be holding a child was found in the debris. I felt very sad, but I renewed my determination to rescue people," Kawata said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]