Turkey’s Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca made a statement with Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Vahit Kirişci at the AFAD Coordination Center in Hatay, where search and rescue efforts continue in 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes affected 10 provinces.
According to Koca, after the two major earthquakes centered in Pazarcık and Elbistan, a total of 147 aftershocks, 3 of which were 6 and above, occurred in the surrounding regions, he said, “Although the earthquake was felt in the whole region, serious damage was done in 10 provinces, especially in Hatay, where we are now.
Noting that there was serious damage to the Hatay Training and Research Hospital, Koca also stated that the old building of Iskenderun State Hospital, Block A, collapsed in the earthquake, and that the rescue efforts of the patients and employees under the rubble are continuing.
Minister Koca stated that the injured in these two hospitals were transferred to the city hospitals in Mersin and Adana.
Emphasizing that they are building capacity for the injured in hospitals in the region, Koca continued his words as follows:
“Our airplane ambulances and land ambulances have started to transport patients. In our hospitals, all of our health workers are on duty, treating our wounded. Due to the weather conditions and the size of the area affected by the earthquake, the teams can hardly reach the field. Our helicopters could not take off today due to bad weather conditions. As the state, we have mobilized our teams despite all the difficulties. AFAD, UMKE, 112 Emergency, Armed Forces, gendarmerie, law enforcement, municipal teams, NGOs work in the field to meet the needs of search and rescue and earthquake victims. We also sent our teams from the surrounding provinces to the region.”
“2,256 emergency medical personnel reached the damaged provinces”
The latest casualty count shows that more than 2,300 deaths were recorded in Turkey, while Syria has seen 1,100-plus fatalities.
The total number of injured in Turkey and Syria climbed to 15,762 on Monday.
