UPDATE - South Korea, Bangladesh to dispatch rescue, medical teams to Türkiye

UPDATE - CHANGES HL, DECK, ADDED SOME MORE DETAILS FROM SOUTH KOREA AND BANGLADESH

By Islamuddin Sajid and Md. Kamruzzaman

ANKARA, DHAKA (AA) – South Korea and Bangladesh on Tuesday announced sending rescue and medical teams to Türkiye to support the victims of Monday's massive earthquakes that jolted the southeastern Turkish region, killing thousands of people.

The South Korean team leading to Türkiye will comprise more than 60 members of the Korea Disaster Relief Team and 50 military personnel, Yonhap News Agency said, citing the Foreign Ministry.

Seoul also plans to offer $5 million as emergency humanitarian assistance, according to the ministry.

Earlier, President Yoon Suk Yeol directed that rescue personnel and emergency medical supplies be immediately dispatched by military aircraft to southern Türkiye, which has been devastated by two powerful earthquakes, the agency said, quoting Yoon's press secretary Kim Eun-hye.

Kim recalled Ankara's assistance to his country during the 1950 war, quoting Yoon, who described Türkiye as a "brother nation that immediately sent troops without hesitating following the Communist invasion in 1950."

President Yoon also ordered relevant ministries to work together with the Foreign Ministry to actively come up with assistance measures needed by Türkiye, the presidential office said.

Yoon also expressed his condolences to the people of Türkiye and Syria following the massive earthquakes on Monday.

"My heart goes out to the people of Türkiye and Syria during this difficult time. Korea sends our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. We stand ready to assist Türkiye, a brotherhood forged in blood during the Korean War, in any way possible," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh also announced sending two rescue teams to support the friendly country of Türkiye.

“We are planning to send two teams to Türkiye to help our friendly nation – an emergency medical team and a rescue team,” Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Seheli Sabrin told Anadolu.

**Earlier, Bangladesh’s President M Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen expressed condolences in separate messages over the colossal disaster and casualties in the Muslim-friendly nations of Türkiye and Syria.

At least 3,549 people were killed and 22,168 others injured while more than 8,000 were rescued in 10 provinces of Türkiye due to two strong earthquakes that jolted the southern part of the country, an official from Türkiye’s disaster agency said early Tuesday.

Early Monday morning, a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province and strongly shook several other provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay and Kilis.

Then at 13.24 p.m. (1024GMT), a 7.6 magnitude quake centered in Kahramanmaras’s Elbistan district struck the region.