Türkiye aims to rebuild quake-hit zone, says top official

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) — Türkiye aims to rebuild its southern region "stronger and safer" after last month's earthquakes, the country's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said on Monday.

"We continue to heal our wounds together as a country as we start the long and arduous journey to full recovery," Altun said in an article published in Euronews.

On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 provinces — Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa — in southern Türkiye, and claimed the lives of at least 50,096 people.

More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.

"In the early morning hours after news of the devastating earthquakes spread across the world, Türkiye witnessed an unprecedented level of global support and solidarity," Altun said.

More than 80 countries sent approximately 10,000 search and rescue personnel to the disaster zone, he added.

After search and rescue work was completed, Altun said Türkiye focused on addressing the immediate needs of survivors, including shelter, health care, food, money, and clothing.

"While the immediate needs of our people are being met, the major challenge ahead of Türkiye will be the rebuilding process.

"With a cost numbering in the tens of billions of dollars, the scale of the rebuilding initiative will be unprecedented. But, our government is prepared for this challenge and aims to build back better, stronger and safer," he added.

Turning to global solidarity, Altun expressed gratitude to all the countries, international institutions and people of the world for their support.

"I know from experience that Türkiye has many allies across the world and during my country’s most difficult time our friends stood by our side.

"While Türkiye has been able to overcome many of the immediate challenges of the disaster, the road ahead is a journey where I hope my country will continue to benefit from the solidarity that has been expressed in the aftermath of the earthquakes," he said.

Altun said assistance generated from meetings, including an EU International Donors' Conference, will support Türkiye's efforts in providing relief for the Turkish people.