Over 18 thousand people were killed and 74 thousand others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye earlier this week, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centred in Kahramanmaraş province, were felt Monday by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa.
Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of fewer than 10 hours.
More than 120,344 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).
A total of 30,360 people were evacuated from quake-hit regions, AFAD said in a statement.
After the initial earthquake, an air aid corridor was created by the Turkish Armed Forces to deliver search and rescue teams to the region.
Ambulance planes are also using the air aid corridor.
Nearly 19,000 Turkish soldiers also rushed to the aid of people in the field, the National Defence Ministry said in a statement.
All barracks, including the 2nd Army Command in Malatya, were opened to the service of citizens affected by the earthquakes.
Rescue and relief personnel and materials were dispatched to the region with 160 aircraft, AFAD said.
Turkish Minister of National Defence Hulusi Akar said Thursday that the Turkish Armed Forces have mobilized all aircraft.
“Within this framework, we dispatch personnel and equipment to the earthquake zone with more than 500 aircraft sorties” Akar said.
In addition, the flights of two Akıncı drones are being used to coordinate work in disaster areas.
A total of 22 ships were also assigned to the region for personnel and material shipment and for evacuation.