Three emergency aids teams were sent to Turkey: KRG
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Three emergency aid teams have been sent to Turkey under the command of Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani after powerful earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria, the Kurdistan Regional Government said in a statement.
According to new estimates, at least 21,000 people died due to the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
The Kurdistan Region's Erbil rescue team saves a father and his daughter under the rubble of a collapsed building in Turkey's İslahiye town in Gaziantep.
— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) February 9, 2023
🎥Islam Yusuf/Kurdistan 24 pic.twitter.com/jvG8WmpFdL
The appointed teams involve members of Ministries of Interior and Health as well as Barzani Charity Foundation.
Dr. Saman Barzanji, the Health Minister of the KRG said that the Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani called for conveying humanitarian and emergency aids to assist the victims of the earthquake.
“Under his command, aid teams consisting of doctors, experts, nurses, and ambulances as well as medicines were formed and sent to the earthquake-zone in Turkey in a few hours,” he told the website of the KRG.
The team affiliated with the Ministry of Interior are experts in searching for and digging trapped survivors.
Moreover, Dr. Hemin Mirani, Director General of Diwan at the Ministry of Interior said four teams from the Ministry of Interior formed and sent to the impacted zones. This includes teams from the Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCC), Civil Protection Department, Directorates of Civil Affairs in Erbil and Duhok, the Ministry of Health and the Barzani Charity Foundation.
“This is a humanitarian case and the events that occurred there required KRG’s immediate action alongside with the international community’s efforts to help the victims,” he said.
Moreover, the Barzani Charity Foundation distributed tents and foods as well as assisting the victims of the earthquake.
“On the command of the Prime Minister, our teams have been deployed in the quake-zone. Besides, many volunteers have been registered and multiple groups of these volunteers are now working with our teams.”
“To increase the efficiency of the aiding process, we are in touch with our teams to make adjustments according to the needs of each specific area.”
In the coming days, the KRG says it will expand its rescue and emergency aids to include Syria.
Moreover, Dr. Jotiar Adel, the KRG spokesman, said that that the Kurdistan Region's rescue teams in Syria and Turkey include84 personnel, 25 ambulances, 10 teams from Erbil and 15 teams from Duhok.
Furthermore, 30 doctors have been sent, including 6 emergency physicians, 4 bone doctors, 2 surgeons, a specialist in brain and spinal cord, 17 other emergency practitioners and general surgeons, and 26 rapid response healthcare providers. In addition, 14 tons of medicines have been delivered.”
He also added that the KRG will continue providing logistical, financial, and political support to those teams.
"We also thank all parties including Ministries of Interior and Health and Foreign Affairs for their great role in deploying the teams in the quack-zones in Turkey and Syria,” he added.
A team of the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) will arrive in the predominantly-Kurdish province of Afrin in northern Syria (Rojava) on Friday to provide aid to the quake-stricken areas and help the victims, according to an official from the aid group.
— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) February 9, 2023
📹Submitted to K24 pic.twitter.com/v1v9mBkcuG
Howver, on aid to Syria, Dr Adel stated that the political and security situation in Syria is not stable and the country is under sanctions.
"Therefore the aid delivery in that area is very slow and requires overlong checking. Yet, we will continue sending our aid to the Syrian people,” he added.