Minister of Housing and Environment of Turkey Murat Kurum He informed yesterday that more than 50,000 buildings will be destroyed immediately, after being damaged by the pair of earthquakes that hit the Turkey-Syria border last week. According to Korom, 50,576 buildings damaged by the earthquakes in ten districts in the south of the country will be destroyed. In the city of Gaziantep, about 12,000 buildings will be demolished, while in Hatay district, the authorities will destroy nearly 11,000 buildings. “We will quickly destroy what needs to be destroyed and build safe houses,” he said.
Survivors next to corpses, between joy and sadness: the stories of the rescue from the disaster in Turkey
As in 1999: members of the Israeli rescue mission in Turkey tell about the difficult scenes
In the meantime, the Turkish authorities continue to investigate the suspicion of omissions that contributed to the collapse of many buildings, some of which were built in recent years, after more than 130 suspects were arrested, including senior contractors. Minister of the Interior Suleiman Soyloy He promised a comprehensive investigation to identify all the failures in all the buildings in the disaster areas.
Meanwhile, exciting rescues continued at the disaster scenes yesterday as well. A woman and her two children were brought out safely after being trapped for 228 hours inside a destroyed building in the city of Antakya in Hatay province. “What day is it today?” the mother asked the rescuers. “We heard a sound during the work and focused on it,” said Mehmet Erlimez, a mining worker who participated in the rescue. “The mother was happy to see us. I held her hand, we talked, I calmed her down.”
The “Olive Branches” delegation in Turkey after the earthquake (photo: IDF spokesman)
Alongside all this, the heavy disaster also brings dramatic diplomatic effects. After the visits of the foreign ministers of Greece and Israel to Turkey, the Turkish foreign minister said yesterday Malbut Chabushuolo Because even the humanitarian aid provided by Armenia can bring the two countries closer after years of hostility. “Armenia reached out to friendship, showed solidarity and cooperation in this difficult time,” he said. “We need to continue this solidarity.”
The Jordanian foreign minister also arrived yesterday Ayman A-Safdi to Syria and intended with the president Bashar Al Assad. This is the first visit of its kind by a Jordanian foreign minister to the neighboring country since the start of the civil war exactly 12 years ago, during which the Hashemite regime also supported the rebels in southern Syria.
The Embassy of Israel in Berlin in cooperation with the Embassy of Turkey in Germany joined together for the survivors of the earthquake in Turkey. Upon learning of the severe disaster, the Israeli embassy team contacted the Turkish embassy and the two embassies together collected warm clothes, blankets and baby equipment to send to the disaster zone in southeastern Turkey.
A number of diplomats serving in Berlin today served in Turkey in the past and felt an obligation to help the Turkish people. In addition, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Proshaur, spoke with his Turkish counterpart, who thanked Israel for the assistance and embrace, which are well felt throughout Turkey. Ambassador Proshaur emphasized that Israel is right to help as much as is required and the broad Israeli assistance expresses the deep and special connection between the nations and said: “Even in Germany, Israel is on Turkey’s side.”