Hospital rooms in southern Türkiye filled with toys for child survivors of quakes

By Abdullah Dogan

ADANA, Türkiye (AA) - Hospital rooms in southern Türkiye are filled with toys for the children who survived the twin earthquakes last week.

Volunteer physicians in the Adana province are trying to heal the children not only with medical interventions but also psychological support.

Serafettin Demir, a doctor at Adana City Hospital, initiated a toy campaign on social media which drew great attention.

“We wanted to distance our children from the hospital environment a little bit. Maybe we can't reduce their pain, but we will be very happy if they can forget it a little,” Demir said.

"They sent balloons, dolls, toys whatever they could find… We distributed them in a way that children will not be disturbed. We aim to turn their room into a nursery environment,” he added.

The happiness of the children also boosted the morale of the doctors working with the spirit of mobilization.

According to the latest figures, over 36,100 people have been killed and over 108,000 others wounded after the two massive earthquakes struck southern Türkiye within the space of 10 hours on Feb. 6, affecting more than 13 million people.

The earthquakes were centered in Kahramanmaras province and shook 10 other provinces, namely Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

They were also felt in several countries in the region, including Syria, where the death toll has topped 3,600.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar​​​​​​​ in Ankara