Rescue workers from the UK assisting with search operations in earthquake-affected areas

By Gokhan Ergocun

HATAY, Türkiye (AA) - A team of around 77 people including, doctors, firefighters, engineers from the UK are working with local search teams in areas affected by Monday’s deadly earthquakes.

“We have had a number of rescues and successful searches working with the local population and local emergency services,” speaking to Anadolu, Jim Davison, one of the operational crew members for the UK International Search and Rescue Team deployed on behalf of the UK government in assistance with the Turkish government.

The team is working with local authorities to rescue people trapped under the rubble and have been working for the past two days, trying to rescue as many people as possible.

“We had a rescue yesterday and we had difficult rescue today where we thought maybe we would have to amputate the gentlemen’s leg to rescue him. We managed to rescue him and save his life.”

At least 19,388 people were killed and 77,711 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, also including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of fewer than 10 hours.

The Turkish parliament on Thursday approved a three-month state of emergency to speed up aid efforts.

The country is also observing seven days of national mourning in the wake of the disaster.

Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid.

* Writing by Rabia Ali