Azerbaijan to send rescue team to Turkey to help mitigate quake effects

BAKU. Feb 6 (Interfax) - The Azerbaijani Emergency Situations Ministry is preparing to deploy a team of about 400 rescuers to help mitigate the effects of a strong earthquake.

Preparations are underway to deploy the ministry's mobile team of 370 rescuers on orders from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the ministry said in a statement.

A 7.6-magnitude quake rocked southeastern Turkey, not far from the border with Syria, at 5:17 a.m. Baku time. The quake epicenter was located 33 kilometers northwest of Gaziantep.

The Altai-Sayan branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Joint Geophysical Service estimated the quake magnitude at 7.6 points, while European-Mediterranean Seismological Center and the U.S. Geological Survey reported magnitudes of 7.5 and 7.8, respectively.

The death toll from the major quake in southern Turkey is continuing to grow. At least 100 people have died so far, the Associated Press said with the reference to local officials.