A specialist response team of Valencia firefighters has been sent to Turkey to help rescue victims of the earthquake disaster.

The crew flew out from Madrid airport to Istanbul on Tuesday, and were joined by celebrity chef, Jose Andres- the founder of World Central Kitchen- who will be setting up a kitchen in the affected area.

He said he was ‘proud’ to see the Valencia firefighters on board, who then travelled early on Wednesday morning to Adana.

15 members of Valencia Province’s Emergencies and Catastrophes Rescue Unit will work in the south-west of the country and link up with volunteers from the Valencian IAE charity.

The team has experience of working in areas with collapsed buildings and will aid in finding victims.

Search dogs will be deployed along with specialist equipment including cameras to detect people who are under the rubble.

Firefighters have also brought vital health and medical supplies with them.

President of the Valencia Firefighters Consortium, Maria Josep Amigo said: “We express our solidarity with Turkey and Syria after the terrible disaster that the region has suffered.”

“Our thoughts are with the people and our firefighters who will be there to provide help,” she added.

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