Turkish Ambassador hails Bahrain support

TDT | Manama                                        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Reported by Ashen Tharaka

Turkish Ambassador to Bahrain Esin Cakil has commended the solidarity of Bahrain at this difficult time to support Turkish people in many ways in the wake of yesterday’s strong earthquake that struck several provinces of the country.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Ambassador Cakil said that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, sent condolences to Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Ambassador, who sent her condolences to the families of those who perished in the earthquake, explained the current situation of heavily affected provinces including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis.

He added that they had been contacted by 45 countries regarding international aid, along with offers of assistance from NATO and the EU. According to Orhan Tatar, Risk reduction general manager at Disaster and Emergency Management Organization of Turkey (AFAD), a total of 120 aftershocks occurred, and 2,834 buildings collapsed.

The total number of search and rescue personnel assigned in the region is 9,698, according to the AFAD. There is currently no tsunami threat that would affect Turkey’s Eastern Mediterranean coasts, AFAD said.

President Erdogan said Turkey was shaken by the “biggest disaster” since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake in the last century. Turkey issued a level-4 alarm, which includes a call for international aid, the AFAD said in the statement.

Following a discussion with the Turkish Foreign Ministry, AFAD also said international assistance was called for the search and rescue through the ERCC (Emergency Response Coordination Centre). After the earthquake, an “air aid corridor” was created by the Turkish Armed Forces to deliver search and rescue teams to the region.