Turkey’s consulate in Vancouver says a private group of volunteers from British Columbia will be the only Canadian search and rescue team in the nation’s earthquake zone, after a deadline for others to participate expired.
Canadian federal authorities have not given an official go-ahead to any rescue teams since Monday’s quake that killed thousands, but the consulate says the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue group was deployed in Turkey early Thursday morning local time after independently offering help.
The consulate says in a statement the Burnaby team, made up of firefighters and other first responders, “is and will be the only team from Canada” acting as rescuers in the quake zone….