English Section

Poland sends mine rescuers as Turkey quake death toll exceeds 5,000

07.02.2023 16:50
The Polish prime minister has announced that the country is sending mine rescuers to help with the effects of a devastating earthquake which has rocked southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.  
The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday announced that the country was sending mine rescuers to help with the effects of a deadly earthquake which rocked southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.
The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday announced that the country was sending mine rescuers to help with the effects of a deadly earthquake which rocked southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. PAP/EPA/RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT

Mateusz Morawiecki announced the move in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

The Polish PM said: “Polish mine rescuers are heading to Turkey. The scale of the tragedy is so great that all help is invaluable.”

Poland sends rescuers to Turkey

On Monday, a search and rescue team of the Polish State Fire Service, consisting of 76 fire fighters and 8 sniffer dogs, departed for Turkey to help save people trapped under the rubble following the deadly earthquake, the PAP news agency reported.

A five-strong team of humanitarian and medical aid workers was set to accompany the fire fighters, according to officials.

Massive earthquake devastates Turkey and Syria

An international aid effort was under way in southern Turkey and northern Syria on Tuesday, following a major earthquake that hit the previous day, killing more than 5,000 people, the British broadcaster BBC reported.

Thousands of buildings collapsed in both countries, trapping thousands of people beneath the debris, according to officials. 

Rescuers are racing to save them, amid heavy rain and snow, with many people contacting journalists from under the rubble, sending videos, voice notes and their locations, news outlets reported.    

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit near the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep in the early hours of Monday, while people were asleep, BBC reported.

A 7.5-magnitude tremor then struck at around 13:30 local time, which was "not an aftershock," according to officials.

To make matters worse, at least 285 aftershocks from the quake have been reported, Britain’s The Times newspaper wrote. 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces devastated by the two earthquakes, the Reuters news agency reported.

Death toll passes 5,000

Turkey’s Vice-President Fuat Oktay said on Tuesday morning that 3,419 people had died in the country, as cited by The Times.

Meanwhile, at least 1,602 have died in Syria and the total number of those injured has exceeded 15,000, news outlets reported.

(pm)

Source: PAP, Reuters, BBC, The Times