Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan’s emergencies ministry has sent three planes to Turkey to assist the neighboring country in eliminating the aftermath of Sunday’s devastating earthquake.

About 270 people were killed and at least 1,140 wounded in the 7.2 magnitude quake in eastern Turkey, which left many buildings cracked or collapsed. The death toll was expected to rise as rescue officials feared for the many who remained trapped under rubble.

The planes from Azerbaijan, sent on President Ilham Aliyev’s orders, carried rescue workers supplied with the necessary equipment and first aid items for the quake victims. Two of the planes took off for Turkey on Sunday night and one on Monday morning.

Azerbaijani rescuers conducting search and rescue operations in the quake-hit zone jointly with their Turkish counterparts have saved three people trapped under the debris and removed five dead bodies, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations reported on Monday.

President Aliyev has sent a letter expressing condolences to Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Aliyev also spoke with President Gul over the phone and discussed the consequences of the natural disaster.

According to the Azerbaijani seismology center, 3-3.5 magnitude tremors were sensed in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan autonomous republic, which borders on Turkey. No destruction was reported there.

Gurban Yetirmishli, head of the center, said the earthquake that hit Turkey had no impact on seismic activity in Azerbaijan.

"Over 200 tremors have occurred in Turkey since yesterday’s quake, but we have not experienced the impact of any of them," Yetirmishli said Monday.