Iraq issues 79 new passports to Iraqis in Turkey to return to Iraq
Smoke billows from the Iskenderun Port as rescue workers work at the scene of collapsed buildings in Iskenderun, Turkey. Photo: Getty Images
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday that 79 new passports were issued to Iraqi citizens in Turkey, according to a statement issued by the spokesperson of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Al-Sahaf.
The Iraqi embassy in Ankara, in coordination with the consulate in Gaziantep, issued 79 new passports to 249 Iraqi citizens, who were returned to Iraq in air flights and by land transport, Al-Sahaf mentioned in his statement.
The Iraqi embassy in Ankara, in coordination with the consulate in Gaziantep, issued 79 new passports to 249 Iraqi citizens, who were returned to Iraq in air flights and by land transport, Al-Sahaf mentioned in his statement.
A new earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale struck Kahramanmaras province, southeastern Turkey, on Saturday, according to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
The AFAD announced that the epicenter of the earthquake is at a depth of 12 kilometers, and experts of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) estimated the intensity of the tremor at 5.3 on Richter scale.
Saturday’s earthquake followed a devastating earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, while the aftershocks of the earthquake reached other countries in the region, and were felt by residents in Lebanon and Iraq.
The earthquake in Turkey and Syria caused severe damage to thousands of buildings, including schools, health care facilities and other public infrastructure such as roads, airports, ports, gas stations and power networks, and hundreds of aftershocks were recorded.