ERBIL, Kurdistan Chronicle — The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) oil exports via Turkey’s Ceyhan port has been resumed, said the Ministry of Natural Resources on Tuesday. 

The oil export via Kurdistan Region-Turkey pipeline was suspended as a precautionary measure on Monday after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which left parts of central and southern Turkey devastated. 

The oil flow started streaming again at 09:45 PM (1845GMT) through the pipeline to the Turkish Ceyhan port, the ministry said in a statement. 

According to the latest updates by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), 6,957 people were killed and more than 38,000 others are injured. 

Over the border in Syria, 2,751 people are reported dead and over 2,000 others are injured. 

However, the death toll is expected to further increase as search and rescue operations are still ongoing with tens of countries, including the Kurdistan Region, joining the efforts to find survivors under the ruins of thousands of collapsed buildings. 

Earlier the day, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani spoke over the phone with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to express solidarity and support. 

“Prime Minister Barzani reaffirmed his readiness to provide more assistance for search and rescue operations and relief efforts,” according to the readout of the meeting published on KRG’s website. 

“Minister Çavuşoğlu thanked Prime Minister Barzani for the deployment of the health resources and aid from the Kurdistan Region,” it added.