Iraqi Turkmens comfort earthquake victims in Türkiye

MALATYA, Türkiye (AA) – Iraqi Turkmens have joined hands to provide help to the victims of two deadly earthquakes that killed tens of thousands in Türkiye.

In a show of support to the quake victims, a group of Iraqi Turkmens travelled to the Turkish city of Malatya to set a mobile kitchen to prepare hot meals for residents affected by the quake disaster.

"We started our relief aid by cooking hot soup enough for 500 people,” Murad Kopruoglu, an Iraqi Turkmen, told Anadolu on Sunday.

“We are now cooking hot meals for 6,000 people every day," Kopruoglu added.

He said the humanitarian aid is being provided through a 15-strong Turkmen team, in coordination with Iraqi Turkmens in Kirkuk and Turkmens living in Istanbul city.

At least 40,689 people were killed and over 108,000 injured in two powerful earthquakes that rocked southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, according to the latest official figures.

The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig and Sanliurfa.

In Syria, at least 5,840 people have been killed in the deadly earthquakes.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar