Spain sends field hospital to Türkiye to help earthquake survivors

By Şenhan Bolelli

MADRID (AA) - Spain sent a field hospital to Türkiye on Thursday to support the victims of the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaras province.

At least 17,674 people were killed and 72,879 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye earlier this week.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, who held a press conference about the plane that took off from the Torrejon de Ardoz military airbase near Madrid carrying the emergency team that will install the field hospital, said they will do everything to help Türkiye and Syria, which have been coping with the fallout from the powerful quakes.

Spain has been one of the countries that responded the quickest to Türkiye's call for international assistance, he added.

Albares said the priority at the moment is to deliver humanitarian aid to the earthquake-hit areas.

He said he wishes to travel to Türkiye and visit the earthquake area after the situation improves a bit.

A team of 84 people consisting of logistics, coordination and health personnel was sent to Türkiye together with the field hospital equipped with the latest technologies and medicines, which is capable of caring for 150-200 patients a day, hosting 20 people with beds, and performing surgery.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes were felt on Monday 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 the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of fewer than 10 hours.

More than 120,344 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).