Follow the latest news on the earthquake in Turkey
UAE airlines continue to operate flights to Turkey after an earthquake in the south of the country that has caused widespread destruction and killed at least 2,000 people.
As of 7pm on February 6, an Emirates representative told The National that “there continues to be no impact on our operations to Turkey”. The airline has flights scheduled to fly to Istanbul at 10.15am, 2.40pm and 5.45pm on February 7.
Etihad's schedule also remains unchanged and flydubai confirmed that its flights to the country have not been affected. “We are saddened to hear about the news in Turkey,” a company representative said.
“Flydubai flights to Ankara and Istanbul on February 6 are operating to schedule. We continue to monitor the situation closely and our thoughts are with those affected.”
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Gaziantep in southern Turkey, but strong tremors were felt in Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Iraq and provinces around Kahramanmaras. Authorities say that more than 120 aftershocks were felt after the initial quake.
President Sheikh Mohamed announced that a field hospital and a search and rescue team have been sent from the UAE to Turkey to help with the international response to the disaster. A second team will be sent to the hardest hit areas of Syria.
Tugay Tuncer, Turkey’s Ambassador to the UAE, said rescue teams were searching for survivors in heavy rain and snow.
“As we are trying to assess the damage inflicted by the earthquake, at the same time we still have big aftershocks coming,” he told The National.
“The urgent need is for search and rescue teams because there are many people under the collapsed houses.”
The UAE was the first of 45 countries to have offered assistance so far, he said. “It’s substantial and important assistance for which we are very appreciative.”
