Eurasian countries supporting relief, rescue efforts in quake-hit Türkiye

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Eurasian countries on Thursday supported the ongoing relief efforts in quake-hit Türkiye by assigning hundreds of rescue and medical personnel, along with essential equipment and supplies.

Azerbaijan’s Emergency Situations Ministry said early Thursday that as a result of search and rescue operations carried out in the Kahramanmaras region, 53 people were rescued from the rubble while 729 bodies were recovered and handed to the authorities.

Later in the day, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation announced that it sent another batch of humanitarian aid, including 105 tons of heaters and tents, to Türkiye.

The Georgian Interior Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that its personnel working in the Adiyaman region have been fully rotated, and that a new 100-member rescue team will carry out search and rescue operations in the city of Antakya in the Hatay region.

“Heads of the operational headquarters of the Georgian rescue forces and specialized rescuers still remain in Türkiye,” the statement said.

Separately, Georgia’s Ambassador to Ankara Giorgi Janjgava said on Twitter that seven trucks containing humanitarian aid from Tbilisi are in Ankara and that they will be heading to the earthquake zone.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service late Wednesday said its personnel examined 438 destroyed buildings and structures, dismantled rubble from 127 sites, and retrieved the bodies of 55 people since the start of their operation.

The Belarusian Emergency Situations Ministry announced on Wednesday that a batch of humanitarian aid, containing tents, blankets, medical supplies, personal hygiene products, children's clothes, and sleeping bags, headed to the city of Gaziantep.

The Turkish Embassy in Astana said on Twitter that $216,000 were transferred to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, the Kyrgyz Embassy in Ankara said on Thursday that 160 personnel from the search and rescue groups of the Emergency Situations Ministry are moving to the Hatay region, adding that Bishkek has sent a total of 182 rescuers to the earthquake zone.

Türkiye’s Ambassador to Ashgabat Togan Oral said on Twitter that 10 generators and 1,500 blankets donated by Turkmenistan’s National Unions Center, and by Turkish companies operating in the country and their employees, will be flown to the earthquake zone.

The Tajik Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (KHF) said in a statement on Thursday that its personnel rescued three people and recovered the bodies of 168 people in the Kahramanmaras region.

At least 36,187 people were killed by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country's disaster agency said on Thursday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.

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