News Desk
ISLAMABAD: Turkish Ambassador Dr. Mehmet Pacaci on Tuesday thanked the leadership and the people of Pakistan for extending humanitarian assistance in the wake of massive earthquake in his Turkiye.
Addressing a press briefing, he said the quake, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, jolted the southern Turkiye and affected over 13 million people across eleven provinces, including Adana, Gaziantep, Hatay, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Osmaniye, SanliurfaGKilis, Malatya, and Elazig.
He said that it was one of the biggest quake disasters in the last century. Many buildings were destroyed and the damage was huge. Neighboring countries like Syria and Lebanon were also affected by the quakes.
The envoy said that 2 more major earthquakes of 6.4 and 5.8 magnitudes hit the Hatay province again yesterday, resulting in new losses and injuries. To date, at least 41,000 people have been killed and 105,000 people injured due to the devastating earthquakes.
Assistance operations
The ambassador said that over 250,000 searches and rescue personnel are currently busy in assistance operations and the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency is coordinating their work.
As regards international assistance, Dr. Mehmet Pacaci said that 102 countries offered help while about 5,000 personnel from 59 countries are on the ground for search and rescue activities.
He said the government and people of Pakistan were among the very first responders to the earthquake. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been in contact with the Turkish authorities from the very beginning.
