Emergency Aid for Earthquake Disaster Relief in the Northwestern Part of Turkey (Bolu)
(dispatch of medical teams of the Japan Disaster Relief Team and offering of emergency material aid and emergency grant aid)

November 16, 1999

1. On November 15, the Government of Japan decided to dispatch medical teams of the Japan Disaster Relief Team (19 members), along with medicine and medical equipment, for approximately two weeks to the Republic of Turkey, which was struck once again by a large-scale earthquake. The Government of Japan has also decided to extend emergency materials of blankets and sleeping mats worth 24.77 million yen in total and 500,000 dollars of emergency grant aid.
   
   
2. On November 12 (Fri), around 18:57 local time, (Japan time: around 1:57 am, November 13), an earthquake registering 7.2 on the Richter Scale hit the city of Duzce, Bolu Province in northwestern Turkey, causing damage mostly in Bolu Province. According to the latest information from the Turkish Prime Minister's Office, 452 deaths, 2386 injuries and 722 cases of collapsed buildings were confirmed as of November 16.
   
   
3. The Government of Japan has decided to extend this emergency assistance from a humanitarian viewpoint, taking into account the severity of the disaster as well as the friendly relationship between Japan and Turkey.
   
   
4. The itinerary of the medical teams to be dispatched is as follows:
   

   (1)	The first medical team (2 persons, namely a leader and a staff member from JICA, to be joined by the two persons who had already been dispatched to Turkey) November 15 (Mon) 21:55 Leave Narita (AF273) November 16 (Tue) 04:30 Arrive Paris 09:55 Leave Paris (AF1590) 14:20 Arrive Istanbul
   (2)	The second medical team (15 members of the main team) November 16 (Tue) 11:55 Leave Narita (TK1023/JL459: Joint flight by Turkish Airways and Japan Airlines) 17:50 Arrive Istanbul

Related Information (Japan-Turkey Relations)