'Türkiye racing against time to save more people'
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu in the Pazarcık district in Kahramanmaraş, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (AA Photo)


Search and rescue teams are racing against time to save more people stuck under the rubble throughout disaster zones amid freezing temperatures, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Kahramanmaraş, the epicenter of the deadly pair of earthquakes, Soylu said the country has mobilized all search and rescue squads to save people.

A total of 59,971 emergency officials are working in the area, including 3,200 personnel from 65 countries, Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said in an earlier statement.

Soylu said that at least 18,000 gendarmeries and nearly 10,000 police officers have been dispatched.

An additional 10,000 gendarmeries will soon be dispatched to the scene, he said.

At least 941 buildings in Kahramanmaraş have been completely destroyed, he added.