Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan has said his country will welcome trained and experienced volunteers and in-kind assistance from Bangladesh to overcome the immense challenges of being hit by twin earthquakes and many aftershocks in Turkey, where the death toll has crossed 14,000.
“There are still people trapped in the rubble. So the next day or two is very significant to save lives. Unfortunately, my predecessor, ambassador Devrim Özürk, is also struggling under a collapsed building in Antakya. Please pray for him,” Mustafa Turan said in a media briefing at the embassy on Thursday afternoon.
UNBThe ambassador expressed his gratitude to the government and the people of Bangladesh for coming forward with offers of assistance instantly after the earthquakes.
He said the Turkish government had asked for international assistance and many countries around the world had responded by deploying search and rescue teams and sending aid, both financial and in-kind.
“Bangladesh is one of the countries that responded very quickly. The honourable president, prime minister, speaker of parliament and minister of foreign affairs sent messages of condolence and solidarity to their Turkish counterparts which were appreciated.”
“Bangladesh also sent a search and rescue team comprising 46 experts by military aircraft yesterday (Wednesday) evening. We expect them to land in Gaziantep in a few hours on Thursday. Bangladesh also joined us today in our mourning by declaring the day a national day of mourning for the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. We will never forget this act of solidarity,” he added.
“On the other hand, Bangladeshi citizens, through their messages, are pouring out their love and support for their Turkish brothers and sisters affected by the earthquakes. Many of them would like to offer financial or in-kind support too. We are touched and very humbled by their generosity.
“We decided not to receive cash assistance but request everyone to deliver in-kind assistance through the campaign that has already started on our social media pages,” he added.
Civilians look for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings in Kahramanmaras, close to the quake's epicentre, the day after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast, on February 7, 2023 AFPIn response to a question, Ambassador Mustafa Osman Turan said: “We do not have any information of any Bangladeshi citizen getting injured or killed in the earthquakes, but citizens of many other countries have died.”
“The devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 – the first one at 4.17am local time of magnitude 7.7 and the second one at 1:24pm of magnitude 7.6. The twin earthquakes were followed by hundreds of aftershocks. The quakes were the largest ever recorded in the region. Tremors were picked up as far away as the UK,” he added.
Millions of people in 10 different provinces of Turkey in the southeast, close to the Syrian border, had been affected, the ambassador said.
“As of 3am today, 12,391 Turkish citizens died and 62,914 were injured. At least 6,440 buildings collapsed. Search and rescue work is continuing day and night.”
The Turkish Government had declared a week-long national mourning and a three-month state of emergency in the 10 affected provinces, he added.
How to help
Mert Baris, program coordinator at the Dhaka office of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), said the victims needed warm clothes, dry food and medicine as the affected areas were experiencing chilly weather right now.
People interested in sending aid could do so directly to the Turkish embassy in Dhaka, he added.
People from Bangladesh can send coats, raincoats, overcoats, boots, jumpers, trousers, pants, gloves, scarfs, head caps, socks, undergarments, tents, beds, mattresses for tents, blankets, sleeping bags, catalytic stoves, tubes, thermals, flashlights, power banks, generators, food boxes, children's food, diapers, sanitary napkins, cleaning and hygiene substances.
Media coverage
Ambassador Turan said many journalists from around the world, including from Bangladesh, wanted to visit Turkey to cover the news and “we are asking them to collect media accreditation from our social media page so they can apply for visas.”
“Journalists are not to enter the affected areas because the roads are damaged… no hotel to accommodate them. But they can cover the news from some other major cities like Istanbul.”
