BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 7. Turkish Airlines operated 80 flights, bringing 11,780 volunteers to the earthquake zone, said Director General of the company Bilal Ekşi in his social media, Trend reports.
"At the invitation of AFAD [Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority], a total of 11,780 of our volunteer citizens were delivered to Adana, Gaziantep, Adiyaman and Urfa by 80 flights this morning by 07:00. With all our might, we continue to operate flights from Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara airports to send professional search and rescue teams and everything necessary to the earthquake zone. Flights to the earthquake zone will continue today," he said.
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.
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, 3,419 people were killed, 20,534 people were injured, and 5,775 buildings were destroyed.