Azerbaijani rescuers save 45 people in Kahramanmaras province

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - A total of 45 people have been saved by Azerbaijani rescuers as they work near the epicenter of the dual earthquakes that shook southern Türkiye earlier this week, authorities announced on Friday.

"As a result of the search and rescue operations carried out in the territory of Kahramanmaras region, which was seriously damaged by the earthquake, the rescuers of the (Azerbaijani) Emergency Ministry saved 45 people from the rubble and handed over 269 bodies to the relevant authorities," the ministry said in an online statement.

In a separate statement, the ministry said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had given the order to dispatch another humanitarian convoy of 16 vehicles, carrying 830 tents and 279 heaters, to Türkiye.

"In accordance with the instruction of the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, special vehicles carrying out the next humanitarian aid of the Emergency Ministry left for the brotherly country," it said.

At least 725 rescue personnel from Azerbaijan have traveled to Kahramanmaras province with a range of relief equipment and supplies since Monday, when the earthquakes occurred.

Azerbaijani medical personnel, in cooperation with the Turkish Health Ministry and military, have performed 10 surgical operations in the affected areas and examined 98 earthquake victims, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a separate statement.

It also announced that it had set up collection points where military personnel and their families could donate relief goods to be sent to Türkiye.

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

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

At least 18,342 people were killed and 74,242 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, the country's disaster agency said.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Hatay, Kilis, and Malatya. Syria and Lebanon also felt the strong tremors.

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