37, including 8 children, rescued by Azerbaijani personnel in quake-hit Türkiye

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – At least 37 people, including eight children, were rescued by Azerbaijani personnel early Thursday in Türkiye’s Kahramanmaras region, the epicenter of two powerful quakes that jolted the country and the region on Monday.

“As a result of the search and rescue operations … 37 people, including eight children, were found alive and the bodies of 145 people were taken out and handed over to the authorities,” a statement by the Azerbaijani Emergency Situations Ministry (FHN) said.

The statement also said that additional information will be provided on the progress of operations in due time.

At least 725 Azerbaijani rescue personnel traveled to Türkiye to assist in search and rescue operations following massive quakes in Türkiye’s 10 southern regions.

Since Monday, Azerbaijan has sent seven planes carrying personnel and humanitarian aid to Türkiye, according to the state news agency Azertac.

Furthermore, 20 truckloads of humanitarian aid were sent to Türkiye for quake victims on Wednesday, carrying tents, beds, power generators, clothing, tables, chairs, towels, and other supplies.

At least 12,873 people were killed and nearly 63,000 injured by two strong earthquakes which jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to the latest official figures released Thursday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

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