Azerbaijan’s rescue and aid personnel have pulled 45 people alive from the rubble after powerful earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations told News.Az.

As a result of the search and rescue operations carried out by the rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the area of Kahramanmaras region, which was seriously damaged by the earthquake, 45 people, including 9 children, were rescued from the rubble, and the bodies of 269 people were taken out and handed over to the authorities.

Additional information will be provided on the progress of rescue operations, the ministry added.

At least 18,342 people were killed and 74,242 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye earlier this week.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, were felt Monday by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of fewer than 10 hours.

More than 120,344 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field.

A total of 30,360 people were evacuated from quake-hit regions.