French President Macron vows 'full support' for quake-hit Türkiye

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – France stands ready to ramp up its support for Türkiye earthquake relief operations, President Emmanuel Macron said.

Two French teams with 140 members are already engage in rescue operations in southern Türkiye, Macron said at a press conference after a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday.

“We are ready to intensify this emergency support according to priority needs,” he added, pledging France’s “full support.”

A Foreign Ministry statement said a French field hospital with the capacity to treat 100 patients per day will start operations in Türkiye’s Adiyaman province on Sunday.

The hospital will have an 87-member team, including surgeons, radiologists, biologists, and other specialists.

More than 20,210 people have died and over 80,000 others were injured after two strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, have impacted some 13 million people across 10 Turkish provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.