60,217 people involved in search, rescue operations in earthquake-affected region of Türkiye

60,217 people involved in search, rescue operations in earthquake-affected region of Türkiye

BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 7. 60,217 people are involved in search and rescue operations in the earthquake-affected region of Türkiye, director of a division of the Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) Orhan Tatar said, TurkicWorld reports.

As he pointed out, the assistance should be coordinated.

"There were 425 aftershocks in a row. This is 5 or more points. Such tremors will continue for some time," he said.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake was recorded in central Türkiye on the morning of Feb. 6, 2023, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. The quake’s epicenter was located 26 km away from the city of Gaziantep with a population of about 1.06 million. The source of the earthquake was 7 km below the surface.

AFAD said that three more earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.4-6.6 rocked Gaziantep province in south-eastern Türkiye. As a result of the earthquake that hit Türkiye, strong tremors were also felt in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus.

According to the latest data, as a result of the earthquake, 3,381 people were killed, 20,426 people were injured, and 5,775 buildings were destroyed.