His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, has requested that search and rescue teams are sent to Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the earthquakes that hit the two countries on Monday 6 February. In addition His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has also directed the establishment of field hospitals in Turkey to help people affected by the earthquakes.
An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale with its epicentre in the city of Gaziantep in southern Turkey, and less than 100 kilometres from Aleppo in Syria. was felt in the early hours of Monday, followed by a second earthquake in the same region measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale later in the afternoon.
Most recent numbers state that over 2,700 people have been killed, at least 1,700 in Turkey and 1,000 in Syria, Further reports state that over 9,700 have been left injured in Turkey and over 2,000 in Syria.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan earlier called the Syrian leader President Bashar al-Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and emphasised the UAE's support for both countries and offered to provide any assistance in their efforts to mitigate the impact of the earthquake.