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28 nations set up 31 field hospitals in Turkiye's quake-hit southern region

February 24, 2023 at 1:37 pm

Health service continues in tents, after evacuation as a precaution following earthquakes in southern Turkiye [Mahmut Serdar Alakuş / Anadolu Agency]

A total of 28 countries have set up 31 field hospitals in southern Turkiye after powerful earthquakes shook the region earlier this month, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Friday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

A total of 109,574 tents, 246 living containers, and 1,500 mobile hygiene units have been brought to Turkiye with the coordination of foreign representatives, according to a graphic the Ministry shared on Twitter.

In-kind aid supplies delivered to the disaster zone include nearly 1.5 million blankets, along with 211,839 sleeping bags, 80,824 beds, 26,622 generators, 5,928 tons of clothing, 3,222 tons of hygienic medical supplies and 5,746 tons of food, it added.

READ: 80% of damage assessment completed in Turkiye’s quake zone – Environment Minister

More than 42,000 people have been killed in the back-to-back earthquakes that struck on 6 February, according to the country’s Disaster Management Agency.

The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude quakes were centred in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces — Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating tremors.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the earthquakes that struck in the space of fewer than 10 hours.

Condolences have poured in from around the world, expressing solidarity with Turkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid.

READ: Survivor in NW Syria: ‘I watched my house collapse and kill my entire family’