Cape Town - In what he described as the “disaster of the century”, Turkish Consul General in Cape Town Sinan Yesildag said his home country had pinned its hopes on the search and rescue operations which were “bearing fruit”.
“Too much has been lost; the death toll is increasing every day and about 7000 houses were demolished. There is massive devastation across the country.
We call it the ‘disaster of the century’.
We are currently living on hope. We all hope for the speedy recovery of the people injured, the reconstruction of the cities and houses demolished, and that all this will end and that life will be back to normal as soon as possible,” Yesildag said.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck various villages and cities in both Türkiye and Syria last Monday.
The combined official death toll now stands at more than 37 000 and is predicted to rise further as hopes of finding many more survivors fade.
Hundreds of thousands have been left homeless and have waited for days in some areas for food and emergency shelter.
Among the humanitarian aid organisations is South Africa’s own Gift of the Givers, which has been helping with search and rescue operations since the disaster struck.
The team rescued an 80-year-old woman in Antakya on Monday.
The organisation’s Ahmed Bham said the severely dehydrated woman was found beneath the rubble.
“Our dogs and team have been assisting with search and rescue efforts, it was the dogs who found the patient. During the last few days our teams have been busy with search and rescue efforts. The magnitude and devastation is on a huge scale. In most of the areas we are searching, the buildings are flattened.
Lots of lives lost, most of the city is devastated and most have lost everything.”
Brigadier Vimla Moodley, who is working with the Gift of the Givers said: “The current situation is really bad and very tragic, devastating and heartbreaking. Buildings are being excavated to retrieve bodies so families can have closure.
“Due to the escalation movement has become limited as roads are being blocked with rubble.
“We were fortunate to recover an 80-year-old woman with the utilisation of the k9 search and rescue dogs.”
The Turkish Embassy in Pretoria on Monday appealed for public assistance with tents, gas heaters, portable toilets, baths, sleeping bags and generators, among other items.
“Following the earthquakes that struck southeastern Türkiye on 6 February 2023, the international community has responded vigilantly and speedily.
“We are also grateful for the initial response from South Africa through search and rescue teams and canines belonging to NGOs such as Gift of the Givers.
“Different segments of South African societies have mobilised to send in-kind assistance, cash donations, as well as organising TV and social media pledge lines to raise money for the victims.
The South African government has also been forthcoming in sending aid in terms of medical supplies, etc. The national leader for the coordination of all aid coming into Türkiye is AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency).”
Anyone wishing to contribute can do so via a donations bank account:
Account name: Turkish Embassy Earthquake Donations Account Number: 63039679759
Bank Name: FNB, First National Bank
Branch Name: Brooklyn
Code: 251345
Cape Times