UN body chief visits quake-hit region in southern Türkiye

By Tufan Aktas

ISTANBUL, Türkiye (AA) - The head of the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) on Tuesday paid a visit to Gaziantep in Türkiye's quake-hit southern region.

Maimunah Mohd Sharif, executive director of the UN-Habitat, told Anadolu that she had never seen before a natural disaster like the massive twin earthquakes which rocked Türkiye on Feb. 6.

"I have seen a disaster in Mozambique during Cyclone Idai. I was in Mozambique, in a city called Barra, for one month after the cyclone, but this is the first time I have seen a disaster of this size that affected 11 provinces and 15 million people," she said.

Intense Cyclone Idai caused catastrophic damage and a humanitarian crisis in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi when it struck in March 2019, leaving more than 1,500 people dead and many more missing.

The powerful earthquakes caused huge damage in Türkiye's southern region, Sharif said, adding that the government was very quick in responding to people's need for tents and containers and providing food and psychological support.

"I appreciate the efforts by the government of Türkiye on the quick response for the livelihood of the people there," she said.

"It is no word to explain the sadness and the feeling. So, I was there to convey my condolences to show my solidarity and also to give hope for the victims. Hopefully, we can recover fast," she added.

Sharif thanked the Turkish government for the swift action it took and nongovernmental organizations, private sector bodies, other UN agencies and the whole world for providing support for people affected by the earthquakes.

UN-Habitat discussed the situation immediately after the strong tremors hit the region and sent a small team to the site to assess the situation, she said.

The UN agency may provide support in immediate areas, including debris clearing and debris recycling, Sharif said.

She was accompanied by Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan, Family and Social Services Minister Derya Yanik, and Environment Minister Murat Kurum during her visit to the disaster zone.

The visit came as Türkiye deals with the aftermath of the devastating Feb. 6 quakes that have claimed more than 44,300 lives in the country's southern region.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in Kahramanmaras, have impacted some 13.5 million people across 11 provinces, including Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.

Over 10,200 aftershocks have been reported since the deadly twin tremors, according to the disaster management agency AFAD.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz