BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 1. A group of rescuers of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations, who took part in the elimination of the powerful earthquake implications and search and rescue operations in Türkiye, is returning home, the ministry told Trend.
The plane with Azerbaijani rescuers took off today from Adana Airport to Baku.
The ministry's rescue team was seen off at the airport by the Governor of Turkish Adana Province Suleyman Elban, Head of the Mersin branch of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) Cenk Yildiz, Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Murat Salim Esenli and Ayse Sarac, Head of the Department at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hatice Tugba Ikizler.
Turkish officials underscored the high professionalism and dedication of the Azerbaijani rescuers during search and rescue efforts, following the devastating earthquake. They called each of them a hero and thanked the Azerbaijani state and people for their support.
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake 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. As a result of the Türkiye earthquake, strong tremors were also felt in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus.
On February 21, 6.4-magnitude and 5.4-magnitude tremors were felt in the Turkish Hatay province, which had already been damaged by the deadly earthquake of Feb. 6. The earthquakes caused heavy destruction and personal injuries.
