ADANA /Turkey/, February 7. /TASS. Russian emergency teams who arrived in Turkey to help with the aftermath of the powerful earthquake have been dispatched to Kahramanmaras, the Turkish province hit hardest by the quake, TASS reported on Tuesday.
The first group of rescuers equipped with three off-road vehicles has been sent to the mountainous area, one of the hardest hit by the earthquake. Russian rescuers will have to cover a distance of some 200 km through the mountains.
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the Kahramanmaras province in southeastern Turkey on Monday night. The tremors, followed by nearly 150 aftershocks, were felt in 10 provinces as well as in neighboring countries, including Syria, where major destruction and casualties were also recorded. According to the latest reports, more than 2,900 people were killed in Turkey, with over 15,800 others injured.