EU sends 1,150 rescuers, 70 rescue dogs to quake-hit Türkiye
Rescuers of International Search and Rescue (ISAR) Germany unload equipment, as they arrive to help find survivors of the deadly earthquake in Türkiye, at Gaziantep Airport, Türkiye, Feb. 7, 2023. (Reuters Photo)


The European Union is sending 1,150 rescuers and 70 rescue dogs to Türkiye in the wake of Monday's powerful quakes, the EU commissioner for crisis management said Tuesday.

"EU solidarity at its best," Janez Lenarcic wrote on Twitter.

The units come from 19 different European countries, including non-EU members Montenegro and Albania.

Their deployment is coordinated through the "EU Civil Protection Mechanism," through which countries in need can request emergency assistance from the EU and other countries participating in the scheme.

At least 3,549 people were killed and 22,168 others injured in 10 provinces of Türkiye after two strong earthquakes on Monday jolted the southern part of the country, an official from Türkiye's disaster agency said Tuesday.

The earthquakes also rocked several neighboring countries in the region, including Lebanon and Syria.

Syria, already reeling from a decadelong civil war, has been hit particularly bad with over 2,500 deaths and thousands of others injured.