Germany voices 'deeply felt solidarity' with quake-hit Türkiye
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser visits the Turkish Embassy in Berlin following the earthquake, Germany, Feb. 9, 2023. (AA Photo)


German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser voiced the country’s "deeply felt solidarity" in the face of the tens of thousands of victims of two massive earthquakes in southern Türkiye and Syria.

Two top German ministers have visited the quake-hit Turkish-Syrian border region and pledged their enduring support in aid and reconstruction efforts, only one day after two new earthquakes rocked the region late Monday.

"Our sympathy is not exhausted in words and it will not diminish when the catastrophe and its consequences are replaced by other headlines in the news," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock promised Tuesday during a joint visit with Faeser to southeastern Türkiye.

"The survivors, who have lost everything, need winter-proof shelters quickly," Faeser said before departing for the visit.

Germany was quick to send considerable amounts of aid to the region. The EU country has a special relationship with Türkiye, as it is home to the largest community in the Turkish diaspora.

The German army has delivered over 340 tons of aid to Türkiye on 20 flights. On Tuesday, its air force is set to transport 13 more tons of supplies to Türkiye, including 100 more tents, 400 camp beds and over 1,000 sleeping bags.

On Feb. 6, two strong quakes hit southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria. More than 47,000 have died in the disaster so far, with over 41,000 in Türkiye alone.

Over 6,000 aftershocks have occurred since, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) noted, with the country's southeastern province of Hatay jolted by another pair of earthquakes with magnitudes 6.4 and 5.8 Monday evening, leaving six dead.