Delivering a speech following the Presidential Cabinet Meeting, Erdoğan said: “A total of 271 thousand public servants and volunteers, support and relief personnel included, have participated in the works in the quake zone. We have gone through a period in which nearly half a million people, including those coming on their own account, have rushed to the aid of quake victims. The solidarity displayed by our nation in these difficult times enables us to look to the future more confidently.”

Erdoğan said: “We would like to reiterate our wishes for a speedy recovery to our nation following the Feb. 6 earthquakes and their aftershocks, which led to the highest number of losses of life as well as the gravest devastation and suffering of our Republican history. We wish Allah’s mercy upon our 46,104 citizens who lost their lives, and offer our condolences to their relatives. We have mobilized all the resources and means of the state starting right from the moment of the first earthquake of 7.7 magnitude in Kahramanmaraş’s district of Pazarcık at 4:17 a.m. on February 6. We have canalized all the search, rescue and relief capacity of our ministries, agencies and institutions to the quake zone.”

Stressing that the second earthquake of 7.6 magnitude, which took place nearly 9 hours later in Elbistan, further exacerbated the consequences of the disaster, Erdoğan stated: “These two consecutive earthquakes caused devastation in 11 provinces, 62 districts and 10,190 villages, all at once as different from other disasters of the near history. The fact that the earthquakes took place at a time of harsh winter conditions in our country and particularly in the region further exacerbated the situation. The damage the destruction caused in the fundamental infrastructure, including in transport, communication and energy, further increased the challenges we faced. The hardships grew even more complicated since the majority of the public and civilian personnel, supposed to engage in emergency response during disasters in cities, got trapped under debris, given their practical and tragic consequences. Nonetheless, public servants and emergency response teams set aside their own pain and took immediate action to rush to the aid of our nation.”

“271 thousand public servants and volunteers participated in the works in the quake zone”

“Our police and gendarmerie made history with their historic roles in ensuring security and maintaining order as well as with their support for search, rescue and relief efforts. Our medical personnel endeavored selflessly to heal the injured people rescued from under the rubble despite the damaged hospitals in some places,” Erdoğan pointed out.

“We rapidly deployed the professional search and rescue teams comprised of nearly 11,500 personnel from NATO and the EU, which responded to our international emergency call, on the ground, thereby assembling an unprecedented search and rescue force of 35 thousand individuals,” said the President. “A total of 271 thousand public servants and volunteers, support and relief personnel included, participated in the works in the quake zone. We have gone through a period in which nearly half a million people, including those coming on their own account, have rushed to the aid of quake victims. The solidarity displayed by our nation in these difficult times enables us to look to the future more confidently.” (ILKHA)