Iraqi Kurdistan stops oil exports to Turkey after massive earthquake
A collapsed building and damaged vehicle in Yurt neighborhood of Cukurova district after the earthquake in Adana, Turkey. Photo Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The authorities of the Kurdistan region of Iraq announced on Monday the cessation of oil exports to Turkey due to the devastating earthquake that struck the neighboring country at early hours of the day, and caused the death of about a thousand people.
The Kurdistan region’s Ministry of Natural Resources mentioned in a statement that oil exports to Turkey had been stopped because of the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria. To make sure the oil export process is safe, oil exports through the Kurdistan-Turkey pipeline have been stopped.
The export process will be resumed after inspection reports are issued by the concerned authorities, the statement added.
The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced on Monday that 912 people were killed and more than 5,000 others were injured because of the earthquake that struck 10 provinces in southern Turkey, noting that it is the worst disaster the country witnesses since 1939.
Erdogan elaborated that the earthquake caused great losses as 2818 buildings collapsed, noting that 2,470 people were rescued from under the rubble of the buildings collapsed by the earthquake.
Erdogan added that 45 countries offered assistance in rescue efforts, stressing that according to recent statistics, the magnitude of the earthquake was 7.7 on the Richter scale.
The earthquake also caused the suspension of flights in several airports in southern Turkey, as well as the temporary suspension of the Ceyhan oil refinery.
The earthquake also caused aftershocks in several Arab countries, most notably Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and Syria. It also killed dozens in Syria and destroyed hundreds of buildings in different cities in Syria.