Daily Times

TCG Bayraktar, the landing craft of the Turkish navy, which was converted into a floating hospital after the earthquakes, has served more than 15,000 injured earthquake survivors in Türkiye’s Hatay province where it is anchored.

Health workers on the ship with a capacity of 560 beds deployed by the Turkish army at MMK Metallurgy Port in the Dortyol District of Hatay province which was severely affected by the two earthquakes that hit the region, helped those injured in the quakes. The ship has an operating room, an X-ray and ultrasound room, and a 10-bed intensive care unit. Ship Commander Navy Lieutenant Commander Lütfü Sezgin told Anadolu that Bayraktar-class landing ships can be transformed into secondary examination centers with additional doctors and health personnel assigned by the Ministry of Health in case of any natural disaster.

“The two births that took place on TCG Bayraktar were a great source of morale for us and our people during these difficult days,” he said. Sezgin stated that approximately 19,000 patients have been treated and 35 surgeries have been performed on navy ships TCG Bayraktar and TCG Sancaktar since the devastating earthquakes. More than 50,000 people were killed on Feb. 6 when magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck southern and southeastern Turkish provinces. More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes as well as many others in northern Syria. Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.