Spain will send a landing helicopter dock, better known as LHD-type amphibious assault vessel named the Juan Carlos, and one more navy vessel to Turkey.
These will have the necessary equipment and personnel to assist relief efforts and humanitarian work as massive earthquakes hit the NATO nation’s southeastern region.
The aftermath sees deaths in thousands and thousands of injured individuals. The Spanish Defense Ministry said that the ships set sail for Türkiye on Tuesday.
The vessels of the Spanish Navy, “Juan Carlos I,” have 500 marines, while “Galicia” is loaded with essential aid material. These are sailing from yesterday. They are bound toward Turkey, specifically the area affected by the earthquake.
The plan is to help with the rescue effort and safeguard the people, the ministry mentioned on Twitter.
Juan Carlos I happens to be a multipurpose amphibious assault vessel. It belongs to the Spanish Navy.
It can support the mobility of marines and transport ground forces and military vehicles other than participating in all kinds of humanitarian missions. The vessel boasts a flight deck measuring 202 meters in length with a ski-jump ramp.
The vessel’s flight deck boasts eight landing points for Harrier, or medium-sized helicopters, F-35 Lightning II, and four for heavy helicopters of the V-22 Osprey or CH-47 Chinook size.
The vessel is known for its full-fledged hospital capacity and is crucial in several disaster relief operations. The ministry mentioned that the government of Spain had transported rescue and search personnel via air transfer. The plane transporting them landed at the Incirlik Air Base in the southern Adana province of Turkey.
The foreign ministry reported that Spain would deploy a field hospital toward southeastern Turkey. It will have two surgical units, various advanced equipment, a specialist team of health workers, and 70 doctors.
Spain is one of the several countries that have reportedly sent rescue and search teams, humanitarian aid, and equipment to Türkiye following the series of deadly quakes.
These were centred in Kahramanmaraş and affected 10 cities in that area and the neighbouring nation, Syria.
At least 3,549 individuals were killed, 22,168 more were injured in 10 provinces following two deadly quakes, and more than 8,000 individuals have been rescued, per official figures.
References: Daily Sabah, Spanish News Today