BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 8. Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov and Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye Fuat Oktay have held a phone conversation on February 7, Trend reports.
During the conversation, Asadov expressed deep condolences to Turkish VP in connection with the numerous casualties as a result of a strong earthquake that occurred in southeast Türkiye, and wished recovery to the wounded.
Oktay highly appreciated the solidarity of fraternal Azerbaijan with Türkiye at this difficult moment and expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by our country in order to eliminate the consequences of a natural disaster, for supporting search and rescue operations carried out in the affected zone.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 hit southeastern Türkiye on Feb. 6, 2023. The earthquake occurred at a depth of seven kilometers in the Pazarcik region of Kahramanmaras Province. The provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Osmaniye, Malatya, Adiyaman, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, and Kahramanmaras were subjected to severe destruction.
The quake’s epicenter was located 26 km away from the city of Gaziantep with a population of about 1.06 million.
Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said that three more earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.4-6.6 rocked Gaziantep province in south-eastern Türkiye. As a result of the earthquake that hit Türkiye, strong tremors were also felt in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus.
According to the latest data, as a result of the earthquake, 5,434 people were killed, 31,777 people were injured, and 5,775 buildings were destroyed.
Following Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's order, the rapid reaction forces of the country involving 420 people were sent to Türkiye on Feb. 6 to support the search and rescue efforts carried out in the earthquake area. The team provided with the proper equipment, as well as with search and rescue dogs, have already commenced searching operations.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has sent well-equipped mobile field hospitals, as well as a group of 41 specialists to Türkiye in order to eliminate the quake implications. The relief supplies containing tents, blankets, heaters, as well as three containers for a mobile field hospital were also sent by the other aircraft.