Spain is sending its Juan Calos landing helicopter dock (LHD)-type amphibious assault ship and another navy ship to Türkiye with necessary equipment and personnel to assist humanitarian work, relief efforts as massive earthquakes hit the NATO country’s southeastern region, leaving thousands of dead and thousands more injured.
The Spanish Defense Ministry on Tuesday said the ships have already set sail for Türkiye.
The ships of the Spanish Navy, "Juan Carlos I" with 500 marines on board, and "Galicia" with aid material, have been sailing since yesterday, bound for Türkiye, to the area affected by the earthquake, in order to help with rescue tasks and rescue people, the ministry said in a Twitter statement.
Juan Carlos I is a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship of the Spanish Navy, supporting mobility of marines, transporting ground forces and military vehicles besides participating in humanitarian missions.
The vessel has a flight deck of 202 meters (663 ft), with a ski-jump ramp. The ship's flight deck has eight landing spots for Harrier, F-35 Lightning II or medium-sized helicopters, four spots for heavy helicopters of the CH-47 Chinook or V-22 Osprey size.
The ship has a full-fledged hospital capacity and can play a huge role in disaster relief operations.
Separately, the ministry also said that the Spanish government has transported search and rescue personnel via air transfer and that the plane carrying them has landed at the Incirlik Air Base in Türkiye’s southern Adana province.
"Our military is ready to get going and help in the search and rescue tasks of people in #TürkiyeEarthquake. Good mission!," it wrote.
Spain will deploy a field hospital in the southeastern Türkiye, the foreign ministry informed. "It has two surgical units, a great variety of equipment and a team of health workers that includes 70 doctors. It is one of the three existing units in the #EU #SpainwithTürkiye," the ministry wrote in a Twitter statement.
Spain is just one of the many countries that have sent search and rescue teams as well as humanitarian aid and equipment to Türkiye after the deadly quakes centered in Kahramanmaraş province affected 10 cities in the region, as well as neighboring Syria.
At least 3,549 people were killed and 22,168 others injured in 10 provinces after the two strong quakes, and over 8,000 people were rescued so far, according to official figures.