Azerbaijan sends another batch of humanitarian aid to quake-hit Türkiye

Azerbaijan said on Thursday that it sent another batch of humanitarian aid to Türkiye as aid continues to pour into the country following twin earthquakes that hit its southern regions last week.

"Under Azerbaijan's First Vice-President, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva's instructions, another batch of humanitarian aid has been dispatched to the victims of the massive earthquake that struck Türkiye on Monday," a statement by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation read.

The statement said that the humanitarian aid weighing 105 tons, which contains heaters and tents, is being flown by plane to the region, contributing to efforts made by the foundation since Feb. 9.

In a separate statement, the Azerbaijani Emergency Situations Ministry said early Thursday that, as a result of search and rescue operations carried out in the Kahramanmaraş region, 53 people were rescued from the rubble while the bodies of 729 were recovered and handed to the authorities.

According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, at least 745 rescuers and medical personnel have been working in Kahramanmaraş since Feb. 6.

At least 36,187 people were killed by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country's disaster agency said on Thursday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaraş province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa, and Elazığ.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in less than 10 hours.