Nations around the world dispatch search and rescue teams to Turkiye in wake of earthquakes

ANKARA: Several nations have dispatched search and rescue teams to southern Turkiye in the wake of two deadly earthquakes that affected 10 provinces.

Azerbaijan was the first country to send a team soon after a Level 4 alert was declared which included a call for international assistance in the quake-hit areas, according to Anadolu Agency.

More than 400 Azerbaijani personnel are engaged in search and rescue efforts in quake-impacted cities.

A plane from the US carrying a 161-member search and rescue team is expected to land at Incirlik Air Base in Adana province to join efforts to retrieve survivors.

Mexico has dispatched 145 rescue personnel while El Salvador has said it will send more than 100 to assist efforts in Turkiye.

Meanwhile, 30 search and rescue teams and medical personnel have been or will be sent to Turkiye as part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, according to a statement from the European Commission.

It was reported that 79 search and rescue dogs will join 1,200 personnel from 19 EU member states and 21 European countries, including Montenegro and Albania.

"The UK is sending a team of 77 search and rescue specialists, state-of-the-art equipment and search dogs to Turkiye. This is vital support that will help locate survivors of the earthquakes," the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said on Twitter.

Greece announced that it is sending a team of 21 rescuers, and Spain dispatched a professional team of 90 people to help Turkiye.

France dispatched 139 aid personnel, Austria 105, Switzerland 80, Malta 32, Bulgaria 59, Kosovo 30, Hungary 101, Croatia 40, Bosnia and Herzegovina 17, Serbia 27 and Albania 53.

NATO announced that more than 1,400 emergency response personnel from over 20 NATO allies and partners, including Sweden and Finland, have been deployed to Turkiye.

Some 147 personnel were dispatched from Russia, 55 from Moldova, 76 from Poland, 68 from the Czech Republic, 41 from Kazakhstan and 60 from Georgia, while Ukraine sent a team of 87 people.

A team of 82 people consisting of search, rescue and health support personnel from China as well as a team of eight people from the country's search and rescue organisation Ramunion and a specially trained dog are making their way to Turkiye.

According to the report, Iran is sending 10 personnel, Japan 18, Malaysia 75, India and Pakistan 50 each and Taiwan 40, while South Korea announced that it plans to send about 110 personnel.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus announced that a team of 200 people was sent to cities affected by the earthquake.

Of the two planes that Israel is sending, the main crew of 167 people was dispatched to Adana, while Lebanon sent 72 personnel and Libya 55.

Solidarity and support messages poured in for Turkiye from many nations and leaders after 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes hit Kahramanmaras in southern Turkiye, which resulted in many deaths in 10 cities.

The death toll in Turkiye from Monday's devastating earthquakes rose to 5,894, while in neighbouring Syria, the death toll had reached over 2,200.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay put the number of injured from the massive quakes centered in Kahramanmaras province at 34,810.

-- BERNAMA