Citizens Of Turkiye Express Gratitude To Malaysian PM For Helping Earthquake Victims
ISTANBUL, Feb 6 (Bernama) -- Exactly a year ago today an earthquake struck Turkiye, that claimed the lives 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.
Mala sia'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.
The writer who is now in Türkiye to see the progress of the recovery efforts met several earthquake victims in affected areas such as 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.
Head of Fire and Municipal Police of Metropolitan Gaziantep, Cafer Yilmaz (he) said he greatly admired Malaysia's Prime Minister 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 Jan 31 until Feb 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 resident in Hatay, Fatih Demirdoven (he), 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 Feb 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
