Hong Kong rescue team given hero’s welcome led by Chief Executive after they land on home soil after mercy mission to quake-hit Turkey
- Chief Executive John Lee says ‘no one let go of any chance to save lives’ as rescue team lands on home soil
- Wang Linggui, deputy director of State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, says cooperation between Hong Kong and mainland in mission unprecedented
A Hong Kong rescue team received a hero’s welcome when they arrived in Hong Kong on Friday night after nine days in Turkey searching for survivors of a huge 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
Cheering crowds arrived early at the city’s airport as the team arrived home, fresh from a similar scene in Beijing earlier the same day.
Family members of the Hong Kong rescuers cried tears of joy and many handed over bouquets of flowers as they were reunited with their loved ones.
A baby boy in a front carrier who greeted his firefighter father with a beaming smile and got a tender kiss on the forehead in return was one of about a dozen children at the airport to welcome a parent back.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier thanked Hong Kong’s heroes and spoke of his gratitude for the work of the 59-strong group.
