Burc Eruygur
14 February 2023•Update: 14 February 2023
ISTANBUL
Nine days after two major earthquakes struck southern Türkiye, Caucasian and Central Asian countries continue to lend support to the disaster-hit nation in its rescue and relief efforts.
Azerbaijan's Emergency Situations Ministry said early Tuesday that search and rescue operations in the Kahramanmaras region, the epicenter of the major earthquakes that took place last week, led to the rescue of 51 people and recovery of 655 bodies.
"Search and rescue operations are continuing with the use of special technical means, as well as rescue dogs," the statement said.
A separate statement by the ministry later in the day noted that a third convoy composed of nine trucks, which was sent on Saturday carrying tents and heaters, had arrived in Türkiye.
Kazakhstan's Emergency Situations Ministry, meanwhile, announced that rescuers from the Central Asian country had saved seven survivors and retrieved 85 bodies since they joined search and rescue operations.
The statement noted that search and rescue operations are ongoing in the cities of Gaziantep and Nurdagi, where Kazakh rescuers are operating in two and one sites, respectively.
Separately, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed his government to send additional humanitarian aid to Türkiye, including tents, heaters, warm clothing and other essentials, according to his press service Akorda.
During a speech at the Academy of Civil Protection, Tokayev also thanked Kazakh rescuers in Türkiye for their work, noting that they will be presented with awards upon their return.
Meanwhile, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry (MCHS) said on Tuesday that an aircraft with 36 tons of humanitarian aid flew to Türkiye.
"There are more than a hundred winter tents on board the aircraft, each of which is designed for 30 people, and stoves. In the coming hours, they will be delivered to the city of Malatya in eastern Turkey," the statement said.
A later statement by the head of the MCHS, Alexander Kurenkov, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to withdraw rescuers from the earthquake relief zone in Türkiye and Syria as their operations are coming to an end.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said that its personnel, since they began their work, examined 381 destroyed buildings and structures, dismantled rubble from 114 sites, and retrieved the bodies of 32 people in the city of Antakya in the Hatay region.
On Monday, the Kyrgyz Emergency Situations Ministry announced that 35 additional personnel, including doctors and rescuers, were being flown to Türkiye.
The ministry also said that humanitarian goods in the form of 49 nursing homes, mobile tents, and medicines were also being sent with the personnel.
According to the latest figures, nearly 32,000 people have been killed and over 80,000 others wounded after 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes struck 10 southern Turkish provinces within the space of a few hours on Feb. 6, affecting around 13 million people.
The earthquakes hit Kahramanmaras and nine other provinces, namely Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.
Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors.
