EU sends recovery teams to Türkiye to deal with quake consequences

The European Union (EU) has mobilised search and rescue teams for Türkiye following its request to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in an immediate response.

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale – one of the strongest earthquakes in the region in more than 100 years - struck the region of Gaziantep in Türkiye, which impacted neighbouring Syria as well, overnight, RBC-Ukraine reports.

Urban Search and Rescue teams have been quickly mobilised from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, France, Greece, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania to support the first responders on the ground. Italy, Spain and Slovakia have offered their rescue teams to Türkiye as well.

The EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre is in direct contact with the authorities in Türkiye to coordinate further support if needed.

In addition, the EU's Copernicus satellite system has also been activated to provide emergency mapping services.

The EU is also ready to support those affected in Syria, which has also reported casualties, through its humanitarian assistance programmes.