Türkiye woke up to a nightmare with an earthquake of 7.7 magnitudes early Monday. Earthquakes of the same magnitude continued throughout the day in the southeast of the country.
So far, the official death figures recorded mean nothing since search and rescue efforts are continuing. It is feared that the number may exceed tens of thousands, considering the collapse of thousands of buildings and the frigid weather with snowfall.
Earthquake experts note that consecutive separate earthquakes with a magnitude above 7 are unusual. They also say that a power deficit equal to 500 atomic bombs has emerged. According to Japanese seismographs, the disaster we experienced is one of the biggest earthquakes on land. Furthermore, there are shocking reports suggesting Monday’s two powerful earthquakes moved the country by up to 3 meters (around 10 feet). An Italian seismologist even claimed that the Anatolian continent moved up to 10 meters (nearly 33 feet).
So far, the death toll from the deadly earthquakes in Türkiye surpassed 8,000, according to Wednesday's announcement by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
All Türkiye stands in solidarity. Specialist search and rescue crews, miners, soldiers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and volunteers work tooth and nail. However, we are talking about an unprecedented earthquake that spread over a wider area than many countries and included 10 cities. Over 13 million people are left homeless, without food and without electricity in the middle of winter. Superhuman efforts are not enough in the face of such a disaster. The fact that roads and airports have been affected by the earthquake also hinders efforts.
The weight of the burden on Türkiye, which has been experiencing housing problems because of millions of Syrian, Afghan and Ukrainian refugees who have recently arrived in the country, is indescribable. As if all this were not enough, Ankara is also helping people in the northern region of Syria, which was affected by the earthquake but where there is no state authority.
Now is the time to stand in solidarity with Türkiye, the world's largest humanitarian aid donor. Türkiye has been applauded for its mediator role in processes such as the Black Sea grain corridor that was initiated to export grain products stuck in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion of the country, the landmark grain deal, which provides food to millions of hungry people last year, and prisoner exchange.
Hence, all kinds of aid from foreign states are gold for us now. Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, the United States, China, India, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Qatar, Iraq, Germany, England, Spain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Estonia, Malta, Slovakia, Portugal, Montenegro, Albania... We are very grateful to them for all those search and rescue teams, equipment, containers they sent and the financial support they provide. We expect financial aid campaigns to be continued institutionally in the European Union and international organizations.
Undoubtedly, what matters most is the spirit of international solidarity displayed. This practice of cooperation has allowed mild winds to blow, albeit for a short time, in the international arena, where diplomatic relations have become strained and polarization has increased because of problems such as the Ukraine-Russia war, the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Syrian Civil War. I hope that the solidarity displayed after this disaster that befell Türkiye will open the doors of dialogue even more. Because even though there are borders between us, we have no one but each other in this world, which is prone to disasters whose door is uncertain every day.
