Tajik rescuers, who have arrived in Turkiye to help eliminate the consequences of the devastating earthquake, today morning began search-rescue operations in the quake-hit province of Kahramanmaras, according to the Emergencies Committee under the Government of Tajikistan.
“40 Tajik rescuers are inspecting and dismantling the rubble of destroyed buildings. Our rescuers work with maximum efficiency in conditions of catastrophic destruction, where every minute counts. The rescuers use special technical equipment designed to search for people under the rubble,” Ms., Umeda Yusufi, a spokeswoman for the Emergencies Committee, told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to her, the head of the team of Tajik rescuer workers, Major-General Sulaimon Isozoda, yesterday night met in the city of Gaziantep with Yusuf Aisu, chief of the Gaziantep emergency management department.
“The Turkish side expressed gratitude for the support Tajikistan has provided and the location of the work of our rescuers was determined during the meeting — Kahramanmaras province,” Ms. Yusufi said.
Recall, Tajikistan has sent a team of 50 rescue workers to help eliminate the consequences of the devastating earthquake. The rescue team members include highly-skilled rescuers, surgeon and a doctor of traumatology.
UN OCHA reported on February 9 that an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale took place in Pazarcık, Kahramanmaras at 04.17 hours on February 6, 2023. A total of 1,052 earthquakes occurred including a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Elbistan.
UN OCHA says that according to initially available information from SAKOM, 12,391 people have lost their lives and 62,914 individuals have been injured in Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, Sanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, Adıyaman, Osmaniye, Hatay, Kilis and Malatya and Elazıg.