Day 5 of "The Disaster of the Century"
Search and rescue efforts continue on the 5th day in Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, which are described as the "disaster of the century".
An earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale took place in Pazarcık, Kahramanmaraş at 04.17 hours on February 6, 2023. An additional earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale took place in Elbistan at 13.24 and in Gaziantep measuring 6.4 and 6.5 on the Richter scale.
A total of 1,509 earthquakes occurred including a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Elbistan.
The earthquake caused destruction in Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Diyarbakır, Adana, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman, Malatya and Hatay.
Efforts to rescue the citizens trapped under the wreckage of collapsed buildings unremittingly continue.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that 18 thousand 991 people have lost their lives and 75 thousand 523 people have been evacuated from quake-hit areas.
12 Thousand141 Buildings and 66 Thousand 58 Independent Sections Have Been Destroyed or Severely Damaged
The Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum stated that 12 thousand 141 buildings and 66 thousand 58 independent sections have been destroyed or severely damaged. He stated that information regarding the damage status of the houses affected by the earthquake can be obtained from "e-Devlet" and "hasartespit.csb.gov.tr".
30 thousand 306 Search and Rescue Workers are on Duty
30,306 search and rescue personnel of AFAD, JÖAK, DİSAK, PAK, DAK, Güven, Fire Department, Security Units, Ministry of National Education, NGOs, Volunteers, and international search and rescue teams are participating the rescue effort in the region.
The number of search and rescue personnel from other countries was recorded as 6 thousand 810.
The total number of personnel working in the region have reached 121 thousand 128 including AFAD Presidency, The Gendarmerie, Ministry of National Defense, UMKE, Ambulance Units, Volunteers, Security Units and Local Support Teams.
A total of 12,241 vehicles, including construction equipment including excavators, tractors, cranes, dozers, trucks, water tenders, trailers, graders and vacuum trucks have been deployed to the affected areas.
97 Thousand 973 AFAD Family Tent Has Been Installed
137 thousand 973 Medical tents and 1 million 507 thousand 494 blankets were shipped to 10 quake-hit provinces by AFAD, the Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Red Crescent. The installation of 97 thousand 973 family living tents was completed.
As part of the disaster psychosocial support group, 4 mobilized Social Service Centers are charged in Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Osmaniye, and Malatya provinces. 1 thousand 606 officers and 156 vehicles have been dispatched to the region. A total of 64 thousand 331 people, 57 thousand 316 in the quake-hit zone and 7 thousand 15 outside the affected areas were provided with psychosocial support.
In addition to 144 Thousand 156 Doctors and Medical Personnel, 30 Thousand 306 Search and Rescue Workers are in the Region
The Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca stated that after the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake, a total of 144 thousand 156 people worked in the health facilities in the region, including 18 thousand 22 doctors, 111 thousand 699 medical personnel, 14 thousand 435 personnel from UMKE and emergency medical service.
Turkish Soldiers Mehmetçik Set Up a Logistics Support Base in Hatay
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) set up a logistics support base to ensure that the aid sent to Hatay is delivered to earthquake victims faster.
While responding to the requests received by the Disaster Emergency Crisis Management Desk established within the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) an "air corridor" for aid was created to deliver search and rescue teams to the region.
