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Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

Russian Emergencies Ministry wraps up search and rescue operations in Turkey, Syria

Alexander Kurenkov noted that Russia had turned out to be one of the first countries that came to the aid of the quake-hit population

© Russian Emergencies Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Russian rescuers are wrapping up their search and rescue operations in earthquake-stricken Turkey and Syria, as a decision has been made to withdraw the Emergency Ministry group from the disaster zone, Russian Emergencies Ministry head Alexander Kurenkov said on Tuesday.

"The search and rescue operation is coming to an end. Heavy equipment is involved in the removal of debris. In this regard, the Russian president has decided to withdraw the Russian Emergencies Ministry group," he said during a teleconference with task forces in Turkey and Syria.

Kurenkov noted that Russia had turned out to be one of the first countries that came to the aid of the quake-hit population of Turkey and Syria. The Emergencies Minister recalled that a combined group of his department’s rescuers was sent to the disaster zone as soon as possible on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The rescuers arrived in Turkey and Syria on February 6. They began to remove the rubble and search for victims in the most difficult areas. "I constantly briefed the president on this," the minister added.

As the rescuers told Kurenkov, in Turkey Russian Emergencies Ministry employees rescued six people from under the rubble, as well as provided assistance to more than 830 victims. In Syria, rescuers retrieved three survivors from under the post-quake wreckage. "I want to thank each of you for your dedication, readiness to come to the aid and perform the task at hand," the minister concluded.

On February 6, 2023, 7.7 and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes erupted with nine-hour intervals in Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province. Tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in neighboring countries, of which Syria was the most seriously impacted. According to the latest information, more than 31,000 people ended up as victims of the natural disasters in Turkey, with over 80,000 people injured. According to the Syrian Health Ministry, the death toll in the government-controlled zone came to 1,414, with another 2,349 victims taken to hospitals.

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Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

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