ISTANBUL, Feb 6 — Exactly a year ago today, an earthquake struck Turkiye, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands and left many homeless in the blink of an eye.
Ever since, the affected areas have seen remarkable recovery.
Following the unfortunate incident, the Malaysian Specialised Search and Rescue Team (SMART) was among the earliest to arrive in Turkiye to assist in the search-and-rescue (SAR) efforts, with the team successfully mobilised within 24 hours.
Malaysia’s humanitarian assistance was warmly welcomed by the people in Turkiye, especially the earthquake victims.
The gesture stood testament to the fact that good bilateral relations between Malaysia and Turkiye transcend cooperation in trade, commerce, education, and cultural exchanges.
Bernama’s reporter, now in Turkiye to see the progress of the recovery efforts, met several earthquake victims in affected areas, including Gaziantep, Malatya, Adiyaman, and Hatay, who expressed gratitude to the Malaysian leadership that had worked tirelessly to assist and contribute to them in time of need.
Metropolitan Gaziantep Fire and Municipal Police head Cafer Yilmaz said he greatly admired Anwar’s leadership, which showed concern for his people by providing contributions and assistance when they were struck by the disaster.
“I know him (Anwar) and follow him through Twitter because he helped Turkiye a lot during last year’s earthquake,” he told Bernama when met during a visit under the theme ‘The Activities Carried Out On The First Anniversary of The Earthquake’ from January 31 until February 5.
Over 60 international media practitioners, including those from Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and South Korea, participated in the event organised by the Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye Directorate of Communications.
In addition, a Hatay resident, Fatih Demirdoven, 42, said humanitarian aid provided by several countries, including Malaysia, has had a significant impact on them in getting back to their routines.
“I am grateful to Allah because we have been helped by foreign countries, including Malaysia, by providing contributions not only in search and rescue operations but also in terms of daily necessities,” he said.
On February 6, 2023, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck southern Turkiye and northwestern Syria, with reported effects also felt in Cyprus and Lebanon.
Eleven provinces were affected by the earthquake, namely Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Adiyaman, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Sanlıurfa, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Adana, Kilis, and Elazıg.
— Bernama
