BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 8. A total of 201 Azerbaijani citizens, including 3-4 Turkish citizens, have been evacuated from earthquake-hit Türkiye since yesterday, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Trend.
"The evacuees are being transported by buses to the border with Georgia. These are citizens, mainly from Gaziantep, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kahramanmaras, and Elazig. We keep working. The number of evacuation flights that will be carried out during this day depends on the lists," said the statement.
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, 5,894 people were killed, 34,810 people were injured, and 5,894 buildings were destroyed.
On the first day of the disaster, in accordance with the instructions of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan numbering 420 people, were dispatched to Türkiye in order to support search and rescue operations.
On Feb. 7, a mobile field hospital of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and a team of 41 specialists were also sent to Türkiye. The next plane brought tents to accommodate people affected by the earthquake, blankets, and heaters, as well as three containers for a mobile field hospital.
In addition, on the instructions of the First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, the foundation is sending humanitarian aid to the fraternal country.
On Feb. 8, a total of 13 special-purpose vehicles with humanitarian aid of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan headed to Türkiye.The humanitarian aid includes 260 tents to accommodate the victims of the destruction, 300 beds, 2 high-power generators, 8,000 sets of clothes, 20,000 pairs of socks, 350 tables, 1,000 chairs, 5,000 towels, and other basic necessities.
Moreover, another plane with humanitarian aid from the Ministry of Emergency Situations was sent to the fraternal country. The humanitarian aid includes 115 tents, 140 beds, 1,448 blankets, 90 heaters, 300 tables, 1,000 chairs, 2,000 towels, and other necessities.