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Russian rescuers work round-the-clock in Turkey’s worst-hit areas

An adviser to the Russian emergency situations minister Daniil Martynov said that apart from rescuers, the Russian team also comprises psychologists and detection canine handlers

ANKARA, February 9. /TASS/. Rescuers of the Russian emergencies ministry are working round-the-clock in Turkey’s hardest-hit areas, Daniil Martynov, an adviser to the Russian emergency situations minister, said on Thursday.

"We were among the first to arrive in Turkey," he said in an interview with Turkey’s Ulusal TV channel. "As soon as we were instructed to do so by our president, an air mobile team was put together almost immediately, comprising world-class rescue specialists. All our services are working round the clock, we do not pause even for a minute and work in the worst affected zones. We are operating in coordination and concert with our Turkish colleagues to provide all assistance that we can."

Martynov said that apart from rescuers, the Russian team also comprises psychologists and detection canine handlers. On Thursday alone, detection dogs helped to rescue three people - two men and one woman.

"We also brought an air mobile hospital with us. It was set up in the city center [of Antakya], and lots of local residents come there to seek help. It has an intensive care unit, a first aid station and all medicines necessary for emergency medical services," the official said.

He emphasized that the team was tasked with "providing the people of Turkey with maximum possible assistance."

"We will do whatever it takes to save as many lives as possible," Martynov added.

On February 7, more than 100 rescue workers from the Russian Emergencies Ministry arrived in Turkey for search-and-rescue operations in Kahramanmaras province which suffered the most in the earthquake. The following day, a second plane with a group of rescuers and medics arrived. The Russian Emergencies Ministry’s contingent in Turkey numbers over 150 personnel. More than 50 members of the Russian Emergencies Ministry have arrived for rescue work in Syria.

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province, located in the country’s southeast, on February 6. The tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in ten provinces as well as in neighboring countries, including Syria. The latest reports say that over 17,000 people have lost their lives in Turkey and about 72,000 have been injured. According to the Syrian Health Ministry, the devastating quake has left 1,347 people dead in the already war-ravaged Middle Eastern country, with the number of those injured exceeding 2,200.

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