The Greek heroes who worked in the earthquake disaster zone of southeast Turkey returned to Athens and were welcomed back by the Health Minister, Thanos Plevris, Fire Brigade leaders and members of EKAV (Emergency Response Ambulance Service).
The mission consisted of 36 officers of the 1st and 2nd EMAK (Special Disaster Response Unit), two officers - engineers of the Fire Brigade with specialisation in the underpinning in the ruins of collapsed buildings, 8 doctors and rescuers of EKAV, three rescue dogs and three special rescue vehicles.
Accompanying them was the head of the Organisation for Anti-Seismic Planning and Protection (OASP), professor Efthymis Lekkas.
"We did what we would do in our country," the head of the 1st EMAK, Dimitris Roupas, said upon his arrival to the Athens airport.
The death toll across Turkey and Syria following Monday’s catastrophic earthquake has reached at least 34,179 on Sunday.
The death toll in Turkey has reached 29,605, Turkish Emergency Coordination Center SAKOM said Sunday.
The confirmed death toll in Syria is 4,574. That number includes more than 3,160 in opposition-held parts of northwestern Syria, according to the health ministry of the Salvation Government governance authority.
The Syrian death toll also includes 1,414 deaths in government-controlled parts of Syria, according to state news agency SANA.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has promised to bolster aid for Turkey as the country grapples with the aftermath of last Monday's devastating earthquake.
In a phone call Sunday, Von der Leyen told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan "the Commission will mobilise additional support and respond to Turkey's latest request for more shelter capacity — in particular tents, blankets, heaters," according to an EU readout of the call.
Von der Leyen conveyed her "deepest condolences and those of the European Union for the catastrophic loss of life and destruction caused by the recent earthquake," the readout added.
The EU hopes to drum up additional funding for Turkey and Syria during a donor conference set to be held in Brussels in March.
In a news release Wednesday, the bloc said its operation in the impacted regions is one of the "largest ever search and rescue operations" carried out through its Civil Protection Mechanism. A total of 21 EU member states and three participating states have so far offered 38 response teams, consisting of 1,651 people and 106 search and rescue dogs, according to the readout.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Sunday urged the UN Security Council to approve two additional access points to deliver aid to parts of Syria hit by the deadly quake last week.
"People in the affected areas are counting on us. They are appealing to our common humanity to help in their moment of need," Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement.
"We cannot let them down — we must vote immediately on a resolution to heed the UN’s call for authorization of additional border crossings for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. We have the power to act. It's time to move with urgency and purpose."
The delivery of urgent supplies to quake-hit areas of northern Syria has been complicated by a long-running civil war between opposition forces and the Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, who is accused of killing his own people.
Russia, which backs Assad's regime, has previously blocked approval for another aid route to Syria at the UN.
The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator on Sunday stressed the need to "open more access points" to get aid out quicker. Meanwhile, the head of the White Helmets volunteer group urged the UN to act outside the Security Council to open three crossings for emergency aid.
READ MORE: Earthquake Diplomacy? Turkish FM says “Greece is a true neighbour” after months of threats.
