Thousands provided shelter in quake-hit Malatya

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) – Thousands of people have been provided temporary shelter in Malatya, one of the 11 southern Turkish provinces hit in the deadly Feb. 6 earthquakes.

At least 3,051 tents have been set up and 12,632 more distributed to people, the Malatya governorate said on Twitter.

Some 6,395 people are also being accommodated at facilities such as sports halls and guesthouses, it said.

More than 300,000 meals are served daily in the city, it added.

Over 13 million people have been affected by the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes that were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Adiyaman, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.

More than 41,000 people were killed by the back-to-back quakes in southern Türkiye, according to latest official figures. Thousands of others were injured.

The Turkish government and several NGOs have set up tent cities in the affected regions, as well as other temporary shelters such as container homes.

The government has vowed it will start reconstructing houses in March and complete the process within a year.