TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ten Taiwanese search-and-rescue personnel traveled to Turkey to participate in joint swiftwater rescue training incorporating drones, according to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara.
The team — from the National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue Team, Taipei City Fire Department and Pingtung County Fire Department — was invited by the AKUT Search and Rescue Association (AKUT) to train in the mountainous Rize region near the Black Sea, per CNA. The area has steep valleys, fast-flowing streams, and mountains nearly 4,000 meters high, similar to Taiwan’s Taroko Gorge.
The team conducted swiftwater rescue, capsized-raft response, and drone rescue command exercises, per Liberty Times. Participants also practiced integrating real-time positioning and other search-and-rescue information into operations.
Taiwanese and Turkish rescuers exchanged expertise on equipment and discussed using AI to analyze imagery for rescue planning. AKUT’s Rize branch specializes in water rescue and is one of the organization’s 30 branches across Turkey.
The partnership dates to the February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey, when Taiwan deployed 130 search-and-rescue personnel and five dogs. Taiwanese rescuers worked with teams in Adiyaman for nearly 20 hours and helped rescue a woman trapped between collapsed floors, while Taiwan later provided equipment to AKUT.
Taiwan Representative to Turkey Huang Chih-yang (黃志揚) observed the exercise and said he hoped the two sides would deepen their partnership, per Liberty Times. AKUT has also sent rescuers to Taiwan for joint exercises and dispatched instructors to provide training, CNA reported.
