How are UK personnel helping on the ground in Turkey?
There are currently between 100 and 150 British personnel on the ground in Turkey as part of relief efforts following the devastating earthquakes earlier this month.
Speaking to Forces News, Brigadier Dan Reeve, Commander, UK Joint Force Headquarters said, of those, "around 100 are in the medical treatment facility in Turkoglu".
And, he said "they are made up principally of 16 Air Assault Manoeuvre Medical Group, supported by the Tactical Medwing from the RAF".
The Colchester-based 16 Medical Regiment was quick to deploy, setting up a medical treatment facility in Turkoglu, close to the earthquake's epicentre.
Staffed by military clinicians, it provides a surgical capability with two intensive care beds, 16 low-dependency beds, two GP-led primary healthcare teams, and a field mental health nurse.
The military's contribution to the UK Government's response to the earthquake is being led by Joint Force Headquarters, with a specialist team deployed to support the British Embassy in Ankara with expertise in operational delivery, logistics and communications.
Three RAF aircraft are helping to deliver NATO's emergency support package, flying over just under 100 tonnes of humanitarian and medical aid.
On Monday night, a second series of tremors killed several people when buildings that had been weakened in the first disasters collapsed.
"Almost every building has been affected in some way by the earthquake, so [there are] huge cracks on the buildings that are standing," said Brig Reeve.
He described "a palpable sense of the trauma that the people have suffered".
"That sense of 'when is this going to end, is my house safe to go back into or am I still at risk if I go back?'."
Brig Reeve said the current support provided was at the request of the Turkish Government.
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