Azerbaijan opens 1st field hospital for quake victims in Türkiye's Kahramanmaras

By Izzet Mazi and Tunahan Akgun

KAHRAMANMARAS, Türkiye (AA) - Azerbaijan on Wednesday established the first of two field hospitals in Türkiye’s Kahramanmaras region, the epicenter of the powerful Feb. 6 twin quakes.

“Our hospital has four departments. After admission and initial examination, the patient is sent to the relevant department,” Gurban Eyvazov, the head of the 10-bed facility, told Anadolu.

The hospital has a laboratory, as well as a local anesthesia and surgery department, he said.

“We will build another hospital. There will be separate departments for orthopedics, pediatrics, and general surgery,” Eyvazov said.

“We will stand by our brother Türkiye until our duty is done. We are one nation. You have always helped us in difficult times. We are always ready to support you and we will always be,” he added.

According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, at least 745 rescuers and medical personnel have been working in Kahramanmaras since Feb. 6.

Azerbaijani personnel have so far rescued 53 people alive and recovered nearly 700 bodies, the country’s Emergency Situations Ministry said.

On Feb. 6, two powerful earthquakes struck southern Türkiye, centered in Kahramanmaras and shaking nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

The death toll has now climbed over 35,400, with thousands more injured.

Felt in several countries, the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors also caused massive destruction in northern Syria, where more than 3,600 lives have been lost.