AKUT Search and Rescue Association ( tr, AKUT Arama Kurtarma Derneği) is a Turkish

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

for disaster

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

relief. It was established in 1995 as a grassroots organization by seven leading outdoor athletes of Turkey and officially founded as an association in 1996. The organization delivers emergency and disaster relief to people trapped in caves, lost on mountains or to victims of

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

disasters at home and abroad. The initial purpose of the association's establishment was to provide search and rescue relief for climbers in emergency as no local organization of this type existed so far.

History

The group was formed first in the aftermath of a mountaineering accident occurred in 1994 on

Bolkar Mountains Bolkar Mountains, also known as Bulgar Dagh or Bolghar Dagh, are a mountain range situated in the middle part of the Taurus mountains complex in southern Turkey bounded by the Göksu River to the west and the Pozantı River to the east. The no ...

, at which two local climbers were involved. In December 1995, a group of volunteer mountaineers conducted their first organized mission on Mt. Uludağ, and rescued people, who got lost in the fog, freezing in heavy snowfall. It was during this operation that the group named itself "AKUT", which is a concept in medicine terminology. The organization was officially incorporated in the beginning of 1996. The members received earthquake and flood training within the next year. This qualified the organization to work cooperative alongside official agencies during their efforts of natural disaster relief. On January 15, 1999, AKUT was given the status of a

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

by the Turkish government. AKUT became generally known after it quickly reacted to the

1999 İzmit earthquake On the 17th of August, 1999 at 3:01 AM local time, a catastrophic magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Kocaeli Province of Turkey, causing monumental damage and 17,127–18,373 deaths. Named for the quakes proximity to the northeastern city of Izm ...

, and worked with its 150 permanent members and coordinated over 1,000 helpers, who rescued about 200 people from the debris. In 1999, the organization became a member of

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

' Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG). AKUT was officially recognized in 2011 as a "mid-sized search and rescue team" by INSARAG. AKUT undertook international missions following the

1999 Athens earthquake The 1999 Athens earthquake occurred on September 7 at near Mount Parnitha in Greece with a moment magnitude of 6.0 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). The proximity to the Athens metropolitan area resulted in widespread stru ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, the 1999 Taiwan earthquake, the

2001 Gujarat earthquake The 2001 Gujarat earthquake, also known as the Bhuj earthquake, occurred on 26 January, India's 52nd Republic Day, at . The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and the

2003 Bam earthquake The 2003 Bam earthquake struck the Kerman province of southeastern Iran at 01:56 UTC (5:26 am Iran Standard Time) on December 26. The shock had a moment magnitude of 6.6 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). The earth ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. AKUT responded immediately to the massive earthquakes of Feb 6, 2023, sending 30 teams to Kahramanmaraş, Adiyaman, Gaziantep, Malatya, Hatay, Osmaniye and Adan

Organization

As of 2015, the organization counts about 250 core members and is also able to deploy around one thousand volunteers if needed. It has appropriate technical equipment for its operations. The headquarters in Istanbul coordinates 35 teams formed in various cities across the country and organize also specific training courses related to search and rescue, disaster preparedness and response for the members and the volunteers. The number of people rescued by AKUT totaled 2062 as of June 2015.

References

External links

Official webpage

Official webpage of Ankara Team
rev. 6. Nov. 2011
INSARAG USAR Directory
rev. 6. Nov. 2011

rev. 6. Nov. 2011 (in German)

Other References

Today’s Zaman, September 2, 2012
Disaster training center to be established in Erzurum
Hürriyet Daily News, August 27, 2012
AKUT (Search and Rescue Association) Rescues the Polish Couple
Sun Express News, July 16, 2012
Two missing Britons found in Turkish Riviera
Hürriyet Daily News, July 13, 2012
“Earthquake-Simulator Truck” will be in Fethiye on April 23.
Sun Express News, April 16, 2012
AKUT provides fast response in 'Slow City' of Seferihisar
Hürriyet Daily News, April 4, 2011
Voluntary Service In Twenty-Six Locations
AnadoluJet Magazine, April 2011
Turkey sends aid team to quake-hit Japan
Hürriyet Daily News, March 12, 2011
You’ve Got To Do What You Love, Or Love What You Do
AnadoluJet Magazine, December 2010

Today’s Zaman, August 4, 2010
Turkish NGO creates fake quakes to advocate readiness
Hürriyet Daily News, May 26, 2010
Turkish team rescues another Haiti quake survivor
Hürriyet Daily News, January 22, 2010
More Turkish rescue teams arrive in Haiti
Hürriyet Daily News, January 19, 2010

Today’s Zaman, January 20, 2010
A helping hand that reached under the ruble
Hürriyet Daily News, August 19, 2009

The Telegraph,August 14, 2009
Chinese documentary makers climb Mount Ararat
Hürriyet Daily News, March 9, 2007
Rescue teams back, Turkish business community takes charge to help Pakistan
Hürriyet Daily News, October 17, 2005

Today’s Zaman, October 17, 2005

The New York Times,October 10, 2005
Latest death toll from collapsed building reaches 92
Hürriyet Daily News, February 11, 2004
Rescue dispute grows
Hürriyet Daily News, September 2, 2004

Today’s Zaman, August 17, 2004
Turkish search and rescue team returns from Iran
Hürriyet Daily News, December 31, 2003

Today’s Zaman, May 5, 2003
AKUT's rescue effort in Greece stirs hearts
Hürriyet Daily News, September 10, 1999
Turkey rescuers recall 921 earthquake mission in Taiwan
Focus Taiwan News Channel,September 23, 2012
AKUT Returns to Pakistan
, Social Accountability International (SAI), November 2012
AKUT President Nasuh Mahruki, Gives a Seminar to AGU’s Staff about Teamwork
Abdullah Gul University News

Sabancı University Civic Involvement Projects
INSARAG - USAR Directory,AKUT Team
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

EverestNews {{Commons category, AKUT Search and Rescue Association Charities based in Turkey Mountain rescue agencies Organizations established in 1996 Organizations based in Istanbul Şişli Volunteer search and rescue organizations 1996 establishments in Turkey Emergency services in Turkey