Russian Citizens Evacuated from Earthquake Zone in Turkey

A group of 39 Russian citizens was evacuated from the earthquake zone in southeast Turkey on Sunday morning, the Russian Embassy in Ankara reported.

The embassy staff was responsible for the collection and dispatch of the citizens. The board was provided by the company Rosatom, which built the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey.

In a statement, the embassy stated that 39 Russian citizens departed from Adana Airport this morning and are expected to return to their homeland.

The 7.8-magnitude tremor claimed more than 24,000 lives in Turkey and neighbouring Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan affirmed that the deadly earthquake was the biggest disaster they had experienced in the last century.

“This is the biggest disaster we’ve experienced in the last century after the 1939 Erzincan earthquake,” Erdoğan said, citing an incident in which more than 32,000 people were killed in eastern Turkey.