A Thai team taking part in the international earthquake search and rescue effort in Turkey and Syria will return home on Saturday after completing a mission during which it recovered 34 bodies, Deputy Interior Minister Naris Khamnurak said on Tuesday.
An army medical team, which was sent to Turkey to complement the urban search and rescue (USAR) team, also provided considerable help to local people, he added.
Mr Naris said the Thai USAR team, which flew to Turkey on Feb 9, had learned lessons in Turkey that could be applied at home, where earthquakes are now imminent threats. He cited for example the minor quake that was felt in Kapong district of Phangnga province on Sunday.
One of the lessons was construction engineering. Buildings from now on will require stronger structural designs to cope with possible quakes, he said.
He cited the town of Hatay in Turkey which had been flattened because the buildings were not designed to withstand the quake even though the region is known to be at high risk of severe tremors. More than 35,000 people were confirmed to have died in the quake as of Monday, officials in Turkey and Syria said.
Mr Naris said he intended to improve the potential of the Thai USAR team, the size of which should be expanded. While the 2023 budget bill was being deliberated, the proposed budget for the team was almost cut. But after intervention by the ministry’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the budget was not cut.
Mr Naris said he hoped the 2024 budget would allocate sufficient funds for the department to set up more USAR teams as the country is facing growing threats from earthquakes, PM2.5 dust, toxic smog and wildfires.