BEIJING: Türkiye’s ambassador to Beijing said Friday that 600 tons of aid materials have been sent from China following last week’s deadly earthquakes in southern Türkiye.
Participating in a welcoming ceremony in the capital Beijing for the returning Chinese search and rescue teams, Abdulkadir Emin Onen said that among the materials delivered to Türkiye were 10,000 tents, 112,000 blankets, and sleeping bags as well as nearly 1,000 generators, heaters, and first aid materials.
Onen said that 22,000 more tents are being prepared to be sent to the disaster zone in a week.
At least 38,044 people were killed by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country’s disaster agency said early Friday.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.
Quake-hit villagers ask for aid to be delivered to needier regions
Heartened by the help they have gotten since last week’s powerful earthquakes, a group of Turkish citizens of Armenian origin in Hatay, southern Türkiye are now asking that aid be diverted to areas of greater need.
Although luckily no lives were lost as a result of the last week’s quakes, the village of Vakifli in the Samandag district, population 130, saw some 30 residents fled the region for Istanbul out of fear following aftershocks.
Berc Kartun, the administrative head of Vakifli, told Anadolu that locals experienced great fear after the Feb. 6 quakes and shied away from entering their homes due to follow-up shocks.
Thanks to a passenger bus, organized by the Istanbul-based Armenian patriarchate, around 45 people – 30 locals and 15 others from nearby Iskenderun – left the area.
Saying that aid has poured into the village since the first day after the quakes, Kartun thanked all those who gave so generously. “Honestly, I didn’t expect that much. Good job, we have many benefactors in Türkiye.”
Also praising officials for their efforts to help quake victims, he said: “They ask if we need anything more. So we’re very good, we don’t need anything (more).
“They called us from everywhere, from municipalities, from the Turkish Red Crescent to help,” he added. Kartun said they turned this aid down, saying: “Give (it) to those in need, we’ve got enough.”
“There’s no point in hoarding, it’s better if it reaches those who need it. We have enough supplies for about a month right now,” he added.
Kartun said he hopes Türkiye’s southernmost Hatay, also known as the “city of civilizations,” where people from all nationalities live in brotherhood, will return to its former glory as soon as possible.
