The Iraqi Kurdistan Ministry of Natural Resources announced Monday the suspension of oil exports to Turkey, citing security reasons following devastating earthquakes that killed over 1,000 people
DOHA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2023) The Iraqi Kurdistan Ministry of Natural Resources announced Monday the suspension of oil exports to Turkey, citing security reasons following devastating earthquakes that killed over 1,000 people.
"Due to the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria and to ensure greater security of oil exports, it was decided to stop the process of oil exports through the Kurdistan-Turkey pipeline," the ministry said in a statement, as quoted by Rudaw tv.
According to the ministry, exports will resume after the release of reports with data on the situation in the region from the relevant authorities.
Earlier in the day, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said that a 7.4-magnitude earthquake occurred in the Kahramanmaras province at 01:17 GMT. Later, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said that it had recorded another earthquake of 7.8 magnitude in the central part of Turkey at 10:24 GMT.
The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey has risen to 1,014 people. Strong tremors were also felt in neighboring Syria, which reported at least 403 victims. A huge number of buildings have been destroyed, as many of them were constructed of brick masonry or brittle concrete, making them extremely vulnerable to earthquakes.
