Türkiye remembers Feb. 6 earthquake victims

WASHINGTON

Türkiye early Tuesday mourned the victims of the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes that hit the southern part of the country, killing a total of 53,537 people and injuring more than 107,000 others.

Magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 Turkish provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

More than 14 million people in Türkiye were affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.

People across the country, including the earthquake-hit provinces, assembled for commemoration ceremonies, honoring the memory of those who perished in the disaster.

A moment of silence and homage was held to remember the victims of the 'Disaster of the Century' at 4.17 a.m. local time (0117GMT), the moment the tremor struck.

In Antakya, people threw flowers in the Orontes River, known as the Asi River in Türkiye, which flows through the city.

Türkiye banded together against 'Disaster of the Century'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised Tuesday to heal the wounds of the victims of the earthquakes.

"The pain of the lives we lost in the Kahramanmaras-centered earthquakes that we experienced a year ago continues to burn our hearts as fresh as the first day," Erdogan said on X.

Stressing that Türkiye banded together against the 'Disaster of the Century,’ he said: "Such great disasters and great sufferings are also turning points where the strength of the unity, solidarity and brotherhood of nations is tested."

Erdogan also said that the government is working hard to keep its promises to the nation, adding: "We will continue these efforts until we build and revitalize our cities."

Later Tuesday, he will be in Kahramanmaras to attend a key handover ceremony to rehouse thousands of survivors.