Azerbaijan proceeds with evacuation operations from quake-hit Turkiye
Rena Murshud
Read moreSearch, rescue operations, and evacuation of Azerbaijanis from the quake-hit provinces of Turkiye are continuing, Azernews reports, citing the Foreign Ministry.
The ministry confirmed the evacuation of 513 Azerbaijanis from the earthquake zone so far.
"Work continues to identify citizens of Azerbaijan affected by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaras and other provinces of Turkiye, and provide assistance to them. To date, 513 citizens of Azerbaijan and their close relatives who are foreign citizens have been evacuated from the earthquake zone in Turkiye. The evacuation process continues in Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Adana, Malatya, Adiyaman, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Osmaniye, Kilis, and Diyarbakir, where the earthquake occurred," the ministry stated.
Additionally, the ministry informed Azerbaijani citizens, who do not want to leave Turkiye, about evacuation points to other cities.
"At the same time, we bring to the attention of our citizens residing or temporarily living in the areas where the earthquake occurred, who have no intention of coming to Azerbaijan, that evacuation points have been established for those wishing to leave these areas. The evacuation of those applying to these points to the safe areas of Turkiye is carried out by the relevant authorities. Those who wish to leave the disaster area by themselves will be directed to shelters in destination cities after informing local evacuation centers before leaving the area," the ministry added.
On February 14, Azerbaijani citizen Verdiyev Shahin, born in 2001, was found dead following the search operations in Malatya city.
"Thus, the number of Azerbaijani citizens who died as a result of the earthquake has reached six people. May Allah rest their souls," the ministry said in a statement.
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Turkiye's southeastern part on February 6, 2023, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.
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. Furthermore, three more quakes with a magnitude of 6.4-6.6 rocked Gaziantep province in southeastern Turkiye. As a result of the earthquake that hit Turkiye's several regions, strong tremors were also felt in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus.
At the moment of writing, the overall death toll in Turkiye has risen to 35,418.
Azerbaijan was the first country to provide assistance to Turkiye immediately after the earthquake.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations continues to send humanitarian aid and rescuers to Turkiye.
Azerbaijani rescuers are currently working in the quake-hit regions in Turkiye.
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