ANKARA, (SONNA) – The powerful twin earthquakes which hit southern Türkiye this week were three times stronger than the major 1999 Marmara earthquake in the country’s northwest, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.
“They were three times more powerful and destructive than the 1999 earthquake, which was recorded as the biggest disaster in our country’s history,” Erdogan said in the southeastern Diyarbakir province, a quake-hit area he is visiting to inspect search and rescue efforts.
“They are also recorded to be much larger and more destructive disaster than the 1939 Erzincan earthquake,” he added.
The Erzincan quake in eastern Türkiye took some 33,000 lives, while the 1999 Marmara earthquake took some 18,000.
Erdogan later visited Sanliurfa and said at least 21,848 people have been killed and 80,104 others injured since the twin earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, hit southern Türkiye on Monday.
“Currently, 160,000 personnel are working in 10 provinces, together with teams from abroad,” said Erdogan, who also met with quake victims in Diyarbakir and Sanliurfa.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Hatay, Gaziantep, Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.
No one left on the streets
Saying that seven out of 320 damaged buildings in Diyarbakir completely collapsed, Erdogan added that at least 255 people died and 901 others were injured.
The Turkish leader also expressed gratitude to all “friendly” countries for showing solidarity with the Turkish nation by sending search and rescue teams after the quakes.
Erdogan earlier pledged to rebuild the quake-hit region as part of a yearlong plan.
“We plan to rebuild hundreds of thousands of houses, including their infrastructure and superstructure, and restore our cities damaged by earthquakes,” he said.
The government, he said, has mobilized “all the means,” and urged everyone to “trust and believe that we did not and will not leave our citizens on the streets in misery or poverty.”
During a visit to Sanliurfa, Erdogan said the Turkish government is preparing programs “to relieve the suffering of our earthquake victims and make their life easier.”
“460,000 of our citizens are accommodated in schools, dormitories, practice hotels, and teacher’s houses affiliated with the National Education Ministry. There are 1.1 million people in temporary accommodation centers,” he said.
The Turkish president further stressed that they have encountered “many obstacles that exceeded human will” during the course of disaster and added: “There have been some delays and disruptions in some areas, but no one can deny the sincere struggle of our state to stand by our citizens struck by earthquake.”
On Twitter, Erdogan thanked the “teams and volunteers for working selflessly despite freezing temperatures, lack of sleep, and many other difficulties.”
“No matter how great our pain is, I sincerely believe we will overcome all obstacles by standing together as a state and a nation,” he added.
Source: Anadolu
