Turkish President Erdogan vows to heal wounds of Feb. 6 earthquake victims

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised Tuesday to heal the wounds of the victims of the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes that hit the southern part of the country.

"The pain of the lives we lost in the Kahramanmaras-centered earthquakes that we experienced a year ago continues to burn our hearts as fresh as the first day," Erdogan said on X to mark the first anniversary of the powerful quakes that killed a total of 53,537 people and injured more than 107,000 others.

The destruction experienced in 11 provinces, which are among the most ancient settlements in human history, was "truly enormous," he said.

Magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 Turkish provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.

"Such great disasters and great sufferings are also turning points where the strength of the unity, solidarity and brotherhood of nations is tested," Erdogan said, adding the nation has "successfully passed this painful and historical test."

While the state took immediate action with all its means, Erdogan said Türkiye banded together against the "disaster of the century."

Stressing that the government is working hard to keep its promises to the nation, he added: "We will continue these efforts until we build and revitalize our cities."