Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, on Monday met search and rescue teams recently returned from helping earthquake victims in Turkey.
He praised the heroics shown by members of Operation Gallant Knight/2, who spent two weeks searching for survivors in the rubble after a catastrophic earthquake hit the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras.
Members of both Dubai Police and the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services were part of the UAE search and rescue crew.
Lt Gen Abdullah Al Marri, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, also attended the meeting that took place in Expo City Dubai.
Sheikh Hamdan highlighted the UAE's commitment to providing humanitarian aid to those in need, and commended the efficiency of the teams involved in the rapid response, recovery and rehabilitation stages of the operation.
During the meeting, the Crown Prince was briefed by Col Khalid Al Hammadi, leader of the search and rescue team, about the crew's operations in the Turkish city, which was heavily affected by the earthquakes.
More than 50,000 people were killed in the earthquake that struck near the Turkey-Syria border on February 6, with further earthquakes and aftershocks continuing to ravage the area.
An estimated 14 million people, or 16 per cent of Turkey's population, have been affected.
Emirati search and rescue teams continue search for earthquake survivors - in pictures
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The Emirati search-and-rescue teams that helped earthquake survivors involved 134 rescue workers. All photos: Wam -
Operation The Gallant Knight 2 took place in Syria and Turkey -
Rescuers raced against time to save those trapped under the rubble -
The operation was part of UAE efforts to mitigate the effects of the earthquake that struck areas of Turkey and Syria -
The Joint Operations Command of the Ministry of Defence revealed that the UAE search-and-rescue teams were sent to several affected areas -
The rescuers were equipped with special equipment for clearing rubble
