UPDATE - Eurasian countries keep supporting relief efforts in quake-hit Türkiye

CHANGES HEADLINE & LEDE, ADDS STATEMENTS FROM AZERBAIJAN, KYRGYZSTAN & UKRAINE, UPDATES INFORMATION FROM KYRGYZSTAN & ARMENIA, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Eurasian countries continue to provide critical support to Türkiye's ongoing earthquake relief efforts sending hundreds of rescue and medical personnel, along with essential equipment and supplies.

A statement by the Azerbaijani Emergency Situations Ministry said early Wednesday that its personnel rescued 53 people from the rubble, while the bodies of 691 people were handed over to the Turkish authorities.

“Search and rescue operations are continuing with the use of special technical means, as well as rescue dogs. Additional information will be provided on the progress of operations,” the statement further said.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said it sent a truckload of clothing, food products and other necessary items to Türkiye.

Meanwhile, the Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry said early Wednesday that its rescuers pulled out seven survivors from the rubble while recovering the bodies of 88 people.

The statement noted that Kazakh rescuers continue to conduct search and rescue operations in the cities of Gaziantep and Nurdagi.

Separately, Kazakhstan will send 55 tons of additional humanitarian aid to Türkiye on Wednesday, as per instructions given by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev the day before, according to state-run news agency Kazinform.

The Kyrgyz Emergency Situations Ministry on Wednesday posted on Facebook that its rescuers began to work in three districts in the city of Kahramanmaras.

“Currently, more than 140 rescuers, three service dogs, and paramedics are working on the ground,” the statement read.

According to the latest statement by the ministry, Kyrgyz rescuers pulled out five survivors from the rubble and recovered the bodies of 158 people.

A separate statement said the ministry employees, sharing the grief of the Turkish people, transferred their one-day salary totaling 4.6 million Kyrgyz som ($52,891).

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that its personnel, since they began their work, examined 437 destroyed buildings and structures, dismantled rubble from 118 sites, and retrieved the bodies of 50 people in the city of Antakya in the Hatay region.

Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vahan Hunanyan said in a Twitter post early Wednesday that a second batch of humanitarian aid from Yerevan for victims of the powerful quakes crossed into Türkiye.

On the same day, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan traveled to the Turkish capital Ankara, where he held a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Mirzoyan also met with Armenian rescuers, which are providing assistance in search and rescue efforts in the city of Adiyaman, during his visit to Türkiye.

At least 35,418 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors last week were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

In neighboring Syria, at least 3,688 people were killed and over 14,749 injured.