REPORTAGE from airport receiving aid and rescuers in Turkiye

Many countries are sending humanitarian aid to Turkiye in order to support the victims of the earthquake that occurred on February 6 and caused mass casualties, Report's correspondent at the Gaziantep Airport said.

Most of the aid is delivered to the earthquake zone through Gaziantep Airport as this airport is currently the most available. According to the information provided by the deputy governor of Gaziantep, Muhammet Oner, to Report's Turkiye office, the Adana Airport is partially functioning due to the destruction.

Oner said that planes with humanitarian aid and rescue teams land at Gaziantep Airport:

"Aid is being sent to the Gaziantep office of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). From there, rescue teams are coordinated and sent to earthquake-affected regions, and humanitarian aid is distributed."

During our stay there, the airport received 64 humanitarian delegations from France, 50 from Germany, 42 from Mongolia, 41 from Tunisia, and 11 coordinators from Iceland.

According to the information provided by the airport, planes from different countries land every half hour during the day. In order to ensure safety, planes from foreign countries are first checked in Istanbul and then land at Gaziantep Airport.

From February 6 to date, seven planes and one car convoy have been sent from Azerbaijan to the brotherly country.

Immediately after the earthquake, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to the President of Turkiye Recep Tayyop Erdogan and said that Azerbaijan is ready to provide all kinds of assistance to Turkiye at this difficult moment. According to the order of the head of state, large-scale assistance from Azerbaijan to Turkiye has been started to eliminate the consequences of the disaster.

According to the order of the First Lady of Azerbaijan, the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation is sending humanitarian aid to the brotherly country to support the victims of the earthquake. Humanitarian aid is expected to be received at Gaziantep Airport.

According to the information provided by Report’s correspondent, it is extremely difficult to travel to the areas affected by the earthquake. The gaziantep bus station is not in operation, the airport is overcrowded, flights to other directions from Gaziantep have become difficult.