Caucasian, Central Asian countries continue supporting Türkiye after earthquakes

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Six days since two major earthquakes struck southern Türkiye, Caucasian and Central Asian countries are lending support to Türkiye in its rescue and relief efforts.

The Azerbaijani Emergency Ministry announced on Saturday that another plane with humanitarian aid of 240 tents landed in the Adana airport.

The aid was handed to the relevant authorities, it added.

As the team of Azerbaijani rescuers continue round the clock search operations, they saved 15-year-old Aysa after 105 hours in the debris and Fatma, a 50-year-old woman who was trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings in 120 hours, in the province of Kahramanmaras.

Georgia sent 60 rescuers and a humanitarian aid convoy to Türkiye, according to Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

The Kazakh Emergency Ministry said the country's specialists saved seven people and handed 19 bodies to the authorities.

The Kazakh rescuers are working in the city center of Gaziantep, where they clear the debris of three buildings, in the Nurdagi town, 45 kilometers (28 mi) west of Gaziantep, and in the Hatay province.

The Kazakh team is also serving people to meet their medical needs and for heating.

The Kyrgyz Emergency Ministry said 63 rescuers and humanitarian aid were sent to Türkiye.

According to Daniil Martynov, head of the Russian team, Russian and Kyrgyz specialists are working in a joint group.

Russia sent 150 specialists, including dog handlers, doctors and psychologists with the necessary equipment, the Russian Emergency Ministry said in a statement.

While the rescuers take part in search and rescue operations, the physicians deployed an airmobile hospital with therapeutic, operating and intensive care units, it said.

Russia also sent Be-200 aircraft to extinguish fires that erupted as a result of the earthquakes.

The Tajik Emergency Ministry said its employees, operating in Kahramanmaras, recovered from under the rubble nine bodies and handed them to the authorities.

Turkmenistan sent to Türkiye a rescue team and humanitarian aid and will continue support, said President Serdar Berdymukhamedov.

According to the Uzbek Emergency Ministry, its employees saved 13 people and digged out 64 bodies in four days.

Vaan Umayan, spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, announced on Twitter on Saturday that Yerevan sent humanitarian aid to Türkiye, as trucks already crossed the Margara bridge on the Armenian-Turkish border and are heading to the quake-hit region.

Earlier, Armenia sent a group of 27 rescuers to the affected Turkish regions.

The teams of former Soviet states often unite efforts, as Azerbaijani climbers together with Russian and Turkmen colleagues pulled nine people out from the rubble and intend to continue participating in rescue operations.

At least 20,665 people were killed and 80,088 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to latest official figures.

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