EU to send rescue teams to Turkey after deadly earthquake kills hundreds

The European Union is sending rescue teams and preparing further help for Turkey after a major earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, the bloc’s crisis management commissioner said Monday.

“Teams from the Netherlands and Romania are already on their way,” with the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Center overseeing their deployment, commissioner Janez Lenarcic tweeted.

In the wake of the earthquake in #Turkey this morning, we have activated the #EUCivilProtectionMechanism.
The EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre is coordinating the deployment of rescue teams from Europe.
Teams from the #Netherlands & #Romania are already on their way.

— Janez Lenarčič (@JanezLenarcic) February 6, 2023

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He said that the bloc’s Civil Protection Mechanism had been activated to respond to the quake, which hit Turkey and Syria, causing deaths and destruction in both countries.

His office said that Turkey had requested EU assistance.

Watch: An injured child is rescued from earthquake rubble in #Syria's Azaz. A total of at least 500 people in #Turkey and Syria were killed in the devastating #earthquake that hit both countries. https://t.co/n2YxrBjhdu pic.twitter.com/SSWlmTPU85

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) February 6, 2023

Several governments in the EU pledged help, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Belgium, Poland, Spain and Finland also said they stood ready to deploy teams and help.

The 7.8-magnitude quake struck early on Monday near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, which is home to around two million people and on the border with Syria.

Read more:

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