KRG thanks Turkey for aiding earthquake victims

By Yunus Keles

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq (AA) – The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) on Monday thanked Turkey for its swift response to help earthquake victims in northern Iraq.

“Special thanks to Turkey, AFAD [Turkey's Disaster Management Agency] and Red Crescent for their quick response and support,” KRG spokesman Safeen Dizayee said on Twitter.

Turkey rushed to help victims of a 7.3 magnitude earthquake that rocked the border area between Iraq and Iran on Sunday.

According to AFAD's Twitter account, 5,000 tents, 7,000 blankets, 92 personnel and 11 vehicles were dispatched to northern Iraq immediately after the tremor.

The quake has killed at least 328 people in Iran and seven others in Iraq.

For his part, Muhammed Nasih Hassan, governor of Darbandikhan, the most effected district in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province, praised the Turkish Red Crescent for helping the quake victims.

Hassan said the Darbandikhan Dam has been seriously affected by the quake.

“Two expert teams were dispatched to the dam from Erbil and Baghdad to resolve the damage of the dam,” Hassan said.

“The dam’s damage exposes a big risk to our district and the region, this is why we are urgently working on resolving the issue,” he added.