By Anadolu Agency
March 8, 2023 1:33 pmISTANBUL
Turkic countries have stood alongside Türkiye through various forms of aid since the country’s southern regions were jolted by powerful Kahramanmaras-centered quakes on Feb. 6.
Azerbaijan was the first country that took part in search and rescue efforts in Türkiye’s southern regions, mobilizing an 867-person rescue and medical team that assisted in the rescue of 53 people from the rubble.
Baku also provided more than 10,000 tents, approximately 2,400 generators, over 20,000 heaters, 32,000 blankets, and around 3,000 tons of food aid to Türkiye, in addition to about $15 million in cash aid.
Separately, Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company SOCAR provided ambulances, fire brigades, Türkiye’s disaster management agency AFAD, and official search and rescue vehicles with free fuel.
The aid was delivered to Türkiye by train, as well as 15 planes, 395 trucks, and 25 containers.
Kazakhstan was one of the first countries to provide aid to Türkiye following the quakes, with the Kazakh government, on the orders of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, having provided $1 million to the country in urgent cash support.
Kazakhstan also sent 55 tons of in-kind aid consisting of basic needs to Türkiye, while the Turkish Embassy in Astana collected donations of nearly $15 million and a group of Kazakh citizens sent more than 100 traditional Kazakh yurts.
Meanwhile, a search and rescue team of about 100 people were involved in operations in southern Türkiye, specifically in the Gaziantep and Hatay provinces, and contributed to the rescue of seven people while recovering the bodies of 88.
Türkiye’s embassy in Uzbekistan, with the coordination of various local non-governmental and Turkish organizations, launched a nationwide aid campaign following the earthquakes, which collected more than $600,000 worth of aid.
Under the aid campaign, an additional 600 tons of humanitarian aid, including medicines and medical supplies, food, clothing, shoes, blankets, sleeping bags, diapers, cleaning and hygiene materials, generators, electric stoves, and other materials were collected and sent to different regions of Türkiye.
At the same time, a 100-person Uzbek search and rescue and medical team went to Türkiye to assist operations in the quake-hit area, during which they rescued 18 people from under the rubble.
The Uzbek military medical team also established a field hospital in Ovakent, in the Hatay region, while Uzbek cooks went to the region and distributed two meals a day to a total of 10,000 people.
The Turkish Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital, collected 55 tons of aid and $994,364 in the deposit account it opened for donations.
As of March 6, approximately $1.1 million was deposited into a bank account opened by the Kyrgyz Finance Ministry, while the Kyrgyz Emergency Situations Ministry’s team in southern Türkiye set up 124 tents in the quake zone.
As a result of the aid campaigns organized by non-governmental organizations in Turkmenistan and the Turkish Embassy in Ashgabat, 8,071 blankets, 390 beds, 20 generators, 60 heaters, six mobile toilets, 11.2 tons of clothing, and 44.4 tons of medical supplies have been delivered to the earthquake victims so far, along with 67 tons of food aid.
More than 46,100 people were killed in Türkiye by earthquakes that struck on Feb. 6, according to officials.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in Kahramanmaras, rocked 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.
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