UAE To Set Up Field Hospital In Quake-Hit Turkey After $50M Aid Pledge

The United Arab Emirates will set up a field hospital in the disaster zone of earthquake-hit Turkey after the government pledged to provide $50 million in disaster assistance for the country.

"One field hospital that the UAE has sent will go to Hatay. The medical team of the UAE is going into the field and will operate from the disaster zone," Turkey's ambassador to the UAE, Tugay Tuncer, told The National on Wednesday.

Tuncer said he personally went to the Abu Dhabi airport on Tuesday to send off one of the teams heading to Gaziantep, which was near the center point of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday.

The ambassador also noted that medical equipment and other necessary supplies will continue to be flown into Turkey based on the country's disaster needs. Cargo planes have already left for Turkey and Syria, as part of the "comprehensive" Gallant Knight 2 operation that the Emirati government launched in support of the affected nations.

UAE president, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Sayed Al Nahyan, had announced the launch of the Gallant Knight 2 initiative on Monday evening to help with rescue and relief operations in the earthquake-hit nations.

The operation will include participants from the Emirates Red Crescent, Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Khaleej Times reported.

Also on Monday evening, the UAE sent over search and rescue teams and medical equipment to the Adana Airport in southern Turkey.

As of Wednesday evening, more than 15,000 people are known to have been killed in the Turkey-Syria quake, as per CNN.

The World Health Organization has also estimated that as many as 23 million people are affected by the temblor.

Aside from sending over rescue teams to help in the difficult search for survivors and victims, the UAE has also pledged $50 million each in disaster relief for Turkey and Syria.

On Tuesday, the Emirati government said it will send in seven aid flights to help specifically with search and rescue operations. Two of the said flights will be deployed to Damascus.

The Emirates Red Crescent has called on volunteers to take part in the "Bridges of Good" campaign that focuses on gathering and assembling relief supplies for Turkish and Syrian citizens, state news agency WAM reported.

The campaign will kick off Feb. 11 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, wherein packaging activities will be held, followed by a two-week collection of cash and in-kind donations starting Feb. 12.