British students show 'heartfelt' solidarity with earthquake victims in Türkiye

By Zuhal Demirci

LONDON (AA) - Students from a primary school in London presented 2,500 paper hearts to Türkiye's ambassador Tuesday as a symbol of solidarity following the twin earthquakes in the country's southern region in February.

The hearts, made from different sized pieces of paper to represent the approximately 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers) between their school and Türkiye, were created by students and teachers from St. John's Church of England School.

The pieces of paper, which were cut in the shape of hearts and decorated with the Turkish flag and messages such as "We stand with you," "You are not alone" and "Our thoughts are with you," were presented to Ambassador Osman Koray Ertas during the school's visit to the Turkish Embassy in London.

The students also conveyed their well-wishes to those affected by the earthquakes and expressed their condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.

In his speech during the visit, Ertas expressed his gratitude to the students and teachers for their solidarity with Türkiye.

"You have shown a beautiful example of solidarity. Your generosity, sensitivity and especially the kindness of children at this age have all greatly impressed us," he said.

At the end of his speech, Ertas presented a special letter he had written to each student in the delegation.

In addition to their display of solidarity, the students from St. John's Church of England School also made a monetary donation to support those affected by the earthquakes.

More than 50,000 people were killed when 7.7- and 7.6-magnitute earthquakes struck southern and southeastern Turkish provinces on Feb. 6.