Azerbaijani rescuers save 16 people from under rubble in Turkiye's quake-hit region

By News Center

As soon as Azerbaijani rescuers and pieces of equipment reached Turkiye's quake-hit regions and the rescue operations kicked off, 16 people were removed from under the rubbles, the Azerbaijani Emergency Ministry said.

On February 8, some 16 people were extricated from the wreckage of the strong earthquake in southern Turkiye by Azerbaijani rescuers, Azerbaijani officials said.

“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 province, 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,” a statement from Azerbaijani Emergency Situations Ministry said.

In keeping with the statement, the rescuers are continuing search and rescue operations to help those trapped under the rubble. The ministry added that 13 special-purpose vehicles were used to transport humanitarian aid to Turkiye in a separate statement.

“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.???????

According to the ministry, 227 more rescue workers are on their way to Turkiye, along with 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.

On February 7, Azerbaijan sent two planes carrying aid personnel, materials, and a field hospital to Turkiye through Adana, one of the 10 provinces hit by the two earthquakes.

The ministry also reported that its workers in Turkiye, which include a 420-person rescue team, had started assisting search and rescue efforts in the province of Kahramanmaras - the epicenter of the earthquake.

At the time of writing, the overall death toll in Turkiye surpassed 12,873.

Early Monday morning on February 6, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck 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 regional countries, including Lebanon and Syria.???????