Azerbaijan Sends Rescuers, Humanitarian Aid to Quake-Hit Türkiye

Azerbaijan sent rescue teams and humanitarian aid to neighboring Türkiye, where the deadly earthquake jolted the southern regions on Monday killing and injuring thousands of people. 

President Ilham Aliyev ordered to dispatch rescue forces of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations to Türkiye to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake. The first team consisting of 420 rescuers, as well as cynologists and eight rescue dogs, left on Monday. Furthermore, based on the same order, the ministry also sent another aircraft carrying first aid kits, tents, bedding, medical supplies, and other necessary equipment to help those affected in Türkiye.

Major General Etibar Ismayilov, who heads ministry’s Special Risk Rescue Service, said Azerbaijan will continue sending rescue teams and humanitarian aid to the earthquake-hit country.

An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 with its epicenter in the Pazarcik settlement of the Kahramanmarash region struck Türkiye in the early morning on February 6. The strong quake also reached other southern provinces and cities of the country, including Kilis, Diyarbakir, Adana, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Adiyaman, Malatya, and Hatay. According to the latest data, at least 2,316 died and 13,293 were injured as a result of the earthquake. 

The Turkish authorities declared the highest level of danger alarm and dispatched the forces of the relevant state institutions to the quake-hit regions. Ankara also announced eligibility for foreign assistance.

The quake is said to be the strongest to hit Türkiye since 1939 when an earthquake of the same magnitude claimed 30,000 lives, CNN reports, citing the United States Geological Survey.

Authorities in Azerbaijan have already conveyed their condolences to the government and people of Türkiye.

“I express our readiness to provide all kinds of assistance at this difficult moment, and on the occasion of the tragedy, on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my deep condolences to you, families and loved ones of those who died, and the brotherly people of Turkiye, and wish the injured recovery as well as the elimination of the consequences of the earthquake,” President Aliyev said in a letter to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

President Aliyev also made a phone call to Turkish President Erdogan. 

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, Embassy in Ankara, Ombudsman’s Office, Prime Minister’s Office, Economy Ministry, Emergency Situations Ministry, and other government offices also expressed their condolences to the government and people of Türkiye.