Turkey has accepted offers of help in dealing with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in the southeast of the country from 95 countries, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara on Thursday.
“We have accepted offers of help from 95 countries. As many as 6,479 rescuers from 56 countries are participating in search and rescue operations. Another 19 countries will send their specialists within 24 hours,” Cavusoglu stressed.
Russia was one of the first countries to send rescue crews and humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria after the deadly earthquake, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. The emergency ministry’s team in Turkey includes more than 150 people. They are engaged in search-and-rescue efforts in the hardest-hit Kahramanmaras province.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked Turkey’s southeastern Kahramanmaras province on Monday morning. The tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in 10 provinces of the country and in neighboring countries, including Syria. According to the latest update, over 16,000 people were killed in Turkey and more than 64,000 were injured.
