Turkish president thanks Azerbaijani rescuers

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed gratitude to Azerbaijani rescuers.

“As a result of the earthquake that occurred about a year ago, on February 6, 2023, more than 53,000 Turkish citizens died, may the Almighty rest their souls,” President Erdogan made these remarks during the ceremony of presenting apartment keys in the buildings which were built in the earthquake zone in Hatay, Report informs.

The president noted that almost everything was destroyed in 11 provinces, 124 districts, and almost 7,000 villages as a result of the earthquake. Some 14 million citizens were directly affected by the natural disaster.

“Our people have successfully overcome this painful ordeal. I would like to thank all our brothers, 35,000 people who took part in search and rescue operations, including 11,500 foreign rescuers,” the president said.

After the devastating earthquake in the Kahramanmaras province of the Republic of Türkiye and surrounding areas on February 6, 2023, Azerbaijan extended a helping hand to the fraternal people of Türkiye and immediately sent rescuers to the disaster zone.

A group of 420 rescuers from the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations was sent to Türkiye on February 6 and took part in search and rescue operations upon Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s instructions.

Moreover, Azerbaijani specialists deployed a mobile field hospital with the necessary medical equipment and a team consisting of 41 people, including 34 healthcare workers and seven non-medical workers, to eliminate the earthquake consequences.

The military medical personnel of the Azerbaijani army, including 10 military doctors and eight nurses, also rendered assistance to earthquake victims in the fraternal country upon President Aliyev’s instructions.