An earthquake has hit the north-western region of Azerbaijan.

On 9 May, President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Zagatala District by plane to meet with the residents of the quake-affected region and examine the measures being taken to eliminate the consequences of the natural disaster.

The head of state reviewed the epicenter of the earthquake from a helicopter.

Emergencies Minister Kamaladdin Heydarov informed President Ilham Aliyev in detail about the consequences of the calamity.

It was indicated that the second 7-point magnitude earthquake had caused more serious damage. A total of 500 aftershocks have been registered in this period, some of which were more palpable.

It was noted that about 3,000 homes in Zagatala, Gakh and Balakan Districts have either collapsed or become unsafe as a result of the earthquake. Also, a large number of social facilities have been severely damaged.

The villages of Gezbarag, Mamrukh, Zayam, Mukhakh, Bazar, Kimir and Chobankol of Zagatala District and the villages of Gulluk, Zarna and Lalapasha of Gakh District, located at the epicenter of the earthquake, have experienced major destruction.

It was noted that on the President’s instruction a headquarters was quickly set up to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake, while working groups were taking appropriate measures to calculate the damage caused. In a short period of time, the Ministry for Emergencies has delivered a lot of machinery and equipment, tents and a large number of construction materials to the affected areas.

Zagatala District was also provided with building materials by the “Irrigation and Water Management” Joint Stock Company. A large number of tents have been delivered and installed.

The delivery of additional equipment, building materials and other necessary supplies to Zagatala, Gakh and Balakan Districts is ongoing. In accordance with the President’s instructions, assistance is provided to the affected population.

Then, President Ilham Aliyev arrived at the Gezbarag village of Zagatala District located at the epicenter of the earthquake.

The President visited the house of village resident and a Karabakh war veteran Mahir Sultanov.

President Ilham Aliyev had a conversation with the host’s family.

President Ilham Aliyev said the government would provide comprehensive support to all the families affected by the earthquake and that bigger houses meeting modern requirements would be built in place of the collapsed buildings.

The President also met with other residents of the Gezbarag village.

Village elder Ahmad Gurbanov thanked the head of state for visiting the earthquake-affected region, meeting local residents and enquiring about their concerns.

President Aliyev stressed that, as was the case in the aftermath of natural disasters in previous years, the government would provide all necessary assistance to the victims of the earthquake, and gave appropriate orders.

Then the President arrived at the Gulluk village of Gah District located at the epicenter of the earthquake. The chairman of the “Irrigation and Water Management” JSC, Ahmad Ahmadzadeh, told the President about the devastation in the earthquake-affected areas and the measures being taken.

President Ilham Aliyev visited the home of local villager Abdulla Mammadov. The President said that a new modern house would be built in place of the damaged one.

President Ilham Aliyev also met with other residents of the Gulluk village.

The President emphasized that Azerbaijan has a strong economy and will take all appropriate measures at its own expense to eliminate the consequences of the 7 May earthquake.

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Then President Ilham Aliyev chaired a meeting of the earthquake headquarters established in Zagatala District.

The head of state made remarks at the meeting.

Remarks by President Ilham Aliyev

- A powerful earthquake hit Zagatala, Gakh and Balakan Districts two days ago. The earthquake has caused major destruction. According to preliminary information, hundreds of homes have been destroyed. According to the latest data, about 3,000 private houses have either been destroyed or turned into disrepair. In other words, the homes that are in poor condition are no longer habitable.

In the aftermath of the disaster the Ministry of Emergencies started work immediately, a headquarters was set up, the situation analyzed and people moved to safety. Fortunately, there are no casualties. Tents were immediately delivered and installed in the region. People have been temporarily housed in tents and the homes of their relatives. Hundreds of community facilities, more than 20 schools, kindergartens and health centers have been put out of action. In other words, it is a terrible natural disaster.

Azerbaijan is a strong state, we have enough opportunities to eliminate the consequences of natural disasters. At present, mobilization work has almost been completed. Heavy machinery has been delivered, extra tents are being brought in. All necessary measures are taken for the temporary accommodation of people. But it is also true that it is very difficult to live in tents. We must try to find a way out of this situation in a short time.

First of all, we must continue analyzing the situation because we don’t have complete information yet. The number of unsafe houses keeps growing, so we should conduct further analysis in the coming days. We must determine the sizes of the destroyed or damaged houses. These issues should be analyzed in conjunction with the owners of houses. It is necessary to determine the exact size of each house being knocked down. We will build new houses in place of the demolished ones.

I have already issued the instruction that the designs of new houses should be coordinated with people. The new homes should be bigger than the destroyed ones. We should take into account people’s wishes during construction.

All the destroyed or unsafe schools must be rebuilt before the new school year. This is a tremendous job requiring large financial resources and technical capabilities. But we must try to resolve all the issues as soon as possible.

Parallel to this, the seismological situation should be continuously monitored. As you know, there have been several aftershocks and, fortunately, the first quake was not very strong. People had time to leave their homes. The biggest destruction was caused by aftershocks, and the tremors may recur. So the seismological situation should be under control. That is, construction and restoration work should start only after the seismic situation completely stabilizes.

All the domestic issues in places of temporary accommodation should be resolved. According to my information, a lot has already been done in this direction. Considering people’s requests, tents are set up in people’s yards. We are granting these requests even though, of course, it would be advisable to set up tents in one place for a more effective and speedy implementation of the work. But considering people’s requests, we set up tents in people’s yards. Also, issues of drinking water and electricity must be resolved. Public places have been defined, we should and we are establishing field baths, catering and medical facilities. So all relevant bodies should go about their duties. We must minimize people’s suffering, create reasonably good conditions in places of temporary accommodation, so that people suffer less.

The repair work, of course, must be carried out in a quality manner. The vast majority of the destroyed homes were built decades ago. Substandard materials were used and technological standards were ignored. New homes, as I said, must be bigger and, of course, of better quality. All technological standards must be complied with, so that people could live there comfortably.

The Azerbaijani government has mobilized all the resources for disaster relief.

Yesterday, on my instructions, 20 million manats were allocated for this purpose. But the situation, i.e. the information coming in shows that these funds we will not suffice. At the next stage we need to consider allocating more funds. There are resources in the state budget and the contingency fund, and we must use them to resolve all the issues as soon as possible. There is a lot of work ahead of us. The construction of about 3,000 homes will require major resources, we need to resolve technical issues too. We must try to restore all the houses in a short time, so that people suffer less. All relevant bodies, local executive authorities should work in a coordinated manner here. To this end, we have set up a headquarters and must do all the work consistently and efficiently.

Underlying our policies is the human factor. Our policies are socially oriented, the reforms ongoing in Azerbaijan are primarily aimed at ensuring a comfortable life.

Of course, helping our fellow citizens in a difficult situation, as always, is our priority. Azerbaijan is a strong state. We can come out of any ordeals with dignity, which is confirmed by our experience. As a result of the mudslide two years ago, thousands of homes were destroyed. These houses have been reconstructed, new settlements built, villages restored, schools and roads established. So we have the experience. Our rescue workers have participated in rescue missions in other countries.

Our rescuers have already demonstrated a high level of professionalism in the aftermath of fires, earthquakes and other natural disasters. We will resolve our problems ourselves. We have plenty of opportunities, tents, field kitchens. Again, to fully address the issue we need to carry out a comprehensive analysis, knock down and repair buildings. At the same time we should, and I am sure we will, resolve all other issues to ensure a normal life.

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Minister of Emergencies Col-Gen Kamaladdin Heydarov, Interior Minister Col-Gen Ramil Usubov, the general director of the National Seismological Center under the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Gurban Etirmishli, briefed the President about the earthquake and the measures being taken to eliminate its consequences.

President Ilham Aliyev said the state and the people of Azerbaijan would go through this ordeal with dignity and issued further instructions on eliminating the consequences of the earthquake.

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After reviewing the measures being taken to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake, President Ilham Aliyev returned to Baku on 9 May.