One yr after devastating earthquake, Turkey mourns its many lifeless | EUROtoday

Issued on: 06/02/2024 – 07:35

2 min

To mark what it calls the “Disaster of the Century,” the federal government organized a sequence of occasions to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the catastrophe in southern Turkey.

In Antakya, the capital of the southern province of Hatay, offended crowds jostled with police as officers had been led to the commemorations. Mayor Lutfu Savas was greeted with chants calling for him to resign, whereas Health Minister Fahrettin Koca was jeered and booed as he gave a speech.

Amid the fog by the Orontes River, individuals chanted “Can anyone hear me?” — echoing the voices of these buried below the rubble a yr in the past — and ”We received’t overlook, we received’t forgive.”

After a second of silence at 4:17 a.m. to mark the time the quake struck, carnations had been tossed into the river in an act of remembrance and an area orchestra performed a tune to honor the victims.

Hatay, which lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian border, was the worst affected of the 11 southern provinces hit by the 7.8 magnitude quake. Including the 6,000 individuals killed in neighboring Syria, the quake left greater than 59,000 lifeless.

Crowds in Adiyaman held a silent march, passing a clock tower that has proven the time of the earthquake for the previous yr.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shall be in Kahramanmaras, the earthquake’s epicenter, to examine the work being achieved to rebuild the town and rehouse hundreds of people that stay in tents and pre-fabricated containers.

He additionally will participate in handing over accomplished houses to survivors, after which spend the remainder of the week touring different cities within the earthquake zone.

In a social media put up, the president stated the loss from the catastrophe “continues to burn our hearts as fresh as the first day,” including: “Thank God, our nation has successfully passed this painful and historical test.”

Opposition politicians are additionally visiting the area, with the Republican People’s Party chief Ozgur Ozel attending the commemorations in Hatay earlier than touring to Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras.

Schools had been closed for the day in lots of the earthquake-affected porvinces. In Malatya, the governor banned any marches or different public shows exterior formally sanctioned occasions for 3 days.

(AP)