Iraq's relief airlift continues for quake-hit Türkiye: Iraqi diplomat

GAZIANTEP CITY, Türkiye (AA) - Iraqi Consul-General Hussein Abdelwahed on Thursday stressed that his country's relief airlift continues to extend aid to the affected people of the devastating earthquakes that hit Türkiye on Feb. 6.

Speaking to Anadolu, Abdelwahed, whose Consulate General in the Turkish city of Gaziantep was badly affected by the earthquakes, said following the earthquakes, there were immediate directions from Iraqi government to prepare for the relief mission.

He added that Iraq's early intervention came through the northern Iraqi Kurdish region by land convoys then followed by air cargoes from Baghdad airport to Gaziantep airport.

The consul-general noted that the relief materials included food items, medicines, blankets and first-aid kits.

"The aid was handed to the Turkish Red Crescent and the Disaster and Emergency Authority (AFAD) in order to be distributed to the affected people," Abdelwahed said. "Some of these aid materials were also distributed under supervision of the Consulate General in Gaziantep."

At least 36,187 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the disaster agency said on Thursday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors last week were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Besides Iraq, more than 15 Arab countries announced providing aid materials and relief airlifts to quake-hit Türkiye and Syria along with dozens of public donation campaigns across the Arab world.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar