BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 7. A total of 24,443 rescuers are taking part in rescue work in Türkish regions affected by the earthquake, director of a division of the Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) Orhan Tatar told reporters, Trend reports.
"Search and rescue teams from various institutions, as well as volunteers are involved in the work," Tatar said.
Among the quake-affected areas were: Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Osmaniye, Malatya, Adiyaman, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana and Kahramanmaras provinces.
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake was recorded in central Türkiye on the morning of Feb. 6, 2023, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. The quake’s epicenter was located 26 km away from the city of Gaziantep with a population of about 1.06 million. The source of the earthquake was 7 km below the surface.
AFAD 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, 3,381 people were killed, 20,426 people were injured, and 5,775 buildings were destroyed.