Rescuers from 88 countries took part in post-quake rescue in Turkey - minister
International Desk
Rescuers from 88 countries participated in the search and rescue effort that followed the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
"Overall, 102 countries have offered their assistance. Rescue teams from 88 of them participated in the search and rescue effort in our country. Teams from 23 countries have completed their missions and returned to their homeland. The rest continue their work in Turkey," Cavusoglu told reporters during a briefing in the disaster-stricken city of Gaziantep, broadcast by the TRT television.
Overall, more than 11,000 foreign rescuers arrived in Turkey. Some 5,300 of them still remain on the country's territory.
Russia sent more than 150 specialists of the Russian emergencies ministry in the wake of the disaster. They were the first to arrive to earthquake-stricken areas and completed their mission on February 15. The Russian team rescued 6 people from the rubble and treated over 800 injured persons.
Two powerful 7.7-magnitude and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes 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 death toll in Turkey is nearing 40,000, more than 105,000 people were injured.
