The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have launched an "air aid corridor" project set to carry out rescue operations with 37 aircraft after a pair of massive earthquakes struck southeastern Kahramanmaraş province.
A total of 154 sortie support flights were made with 37 aircraft, including A400M transport aircraft. The flights delivered search and rescue teams, vehicles and aid materials to the quake-hit region. The "air aid corridor" created by the TSK for the transport of search and rescue teams remained active throughout the night.
As a precaution, two Akıncı TİHA, high-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicles, were also assigned to protect the coordination of the recovery work in the disaster areas, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a statement in Hatay Monday evening.
"With the air aid corridor, the AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority), health and medical personnel are being sent to the said regions. Unfortunately, due to the unfavorable weather conditions and the damage caused by the earthquake in some of our airports, it has been difficult to deliver the personnel and materials to their destinations by air," Akar also said.
In addition, the Humanitarian Aid Brigade of the Turkish Shooting and Hunting Federation, and eight Natural Disaster Rescue Teams from the Natural Disaster Relief Team in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have now been transferred to the region and are working with rescue efforts. Stating that they are coordinating food distribution, meals are being prepared in the barracks kitchens and delivered to approximately 15,000 citizens.
Expressing that they have enlisted 25 mobile kitchen, bathroom and toilet units of the Turkish Shooting and Hunting Federation in this respect, Turkish soldiers are able to continue their work, ensuring the safety of the citizens in the quake-hit area.
"In addition, a mobile hospital in the region to meet the public's health needs due to the damage to the City Hospital will also be used to alleviate the health care needs of the public. In addition, our ship TCG İskenderun will dock at Iskenderun Port tonight. And we will make it possible for all the injured here to be transferred to a better-equipped hospital in Mersin as soon as possible," Akar said.
"So far, 850-900 soldiers are providing assistance to the citizens in the Antakya region. In these difficult days, an effort to help the citizens with great delicacy and self-sacrifice may heal the wounds and bring a speedy recovery," he added.
