Azerbaijan’s aid personnel rescued 16 people from the rubble from powerful earthquakes in southern Türkiye, said Azerbaijani officials on Wednesday.
“As a result of the search and rescue operations carried out by the rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the area of Kahramanmaras region, which was seriously damaged by the earthquake, 16 people, including three children, were rescued from the rubble, and the bodies of 29 people were taken out and handed over to the authorities,” said a statement from Azerbaijan’s Emergency Situations Ministry.
The statement said that Baku’s assistance in search and rescue operations is ongoing to address “the consequences of the strong earthquake that occurred in the brotherly country,” noting that additional information will be provided on the progress of its efforts.
In a separate statement, the ministry also said that humanitarian aid was sent to Türkiye with the help of 13 special purpose vehicles.
“The humanitarian aid includes 260 tents, 300 beds, two large power generators, 8,000 sets of clothing, 20,000 pairs of socks, 350 tables, 1,000 chairs, 5,000 yarn towels, and other supplies to accommodate people affected by the debris,” the statement said.
The ministry added that an additional 227 rescue personnel and a plane, carrying 115 tents of various sizes, nearly 1,450 blankets, 140 beds, 90 heaters, 300 tables, 1,000 chairs, 2,000 towels, and other supplies were on their way to Türkiye.
On Tuesday, Azerbaijan sent two planes carrying aid personnel, materials, and a field hospital to Türkiye through Adana, one of the 10 provinces hit by the two earthquakes.
The ministry also announced that its personnel in Türkiye, which is made up of a rescue team of 420 people, had begun supporting search and rescue operations in Kahramanmaras province, the epicenter of both quakes.
Over 6,200 were killed and 37,000 others injured in 10 provinces of Türkiye when the earthquakes jolted the southern part of the country.
Early Monday morning, a 7.7 magnitude tremor struck the Kahramanmaras province, then about nine hours later, a 7.6 magnitude quake rocked the region again, affecting several other provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.
The earthquake was also felt in several countries in the region, including Lebanon and Syria.
