British students express 'heartfelt' solidarity with Turkish quake victims
British students are photographed along with the Turkish Ambassador to London Osman Koray Ertaş, in London, U.K., May 9, 2023. (AA Photo)


Students from a primary school in London Tuesday presented 2,500 paper hearts to Türkiye's ambassador demonstrating their solidarity following the powerful twin earthquakes that rocked the country's southern region in early February.

The hearts, made from different-sized pieces of paper to represent the approximately 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers) between their school and Türkiye, were created by students and teachers from St. John's Church of England School.

The pieces of paper, which were cut in the shape of hearts and decorated with the Turkish flag and messages such as "We stand with you," "You are not alone" and "Our thoughts are with you," were presented to Ambassador Osman Koray Ertaş during the school's visit to the Turkish Embassy in London.

The students also conveyed their well-wishes to those affected by the earthquakes and expressed their condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.

In his speech during the visit, Ertaş expressed his gratitude to the students and teachers for their solidarity with Türkiye.

"You have shown a beautiful example of solidarity. Your generosity, sensitivity and especially the kindness of children at this age have all greatly impressed us," he said.

At the end of his speech, Ertaş presented a special letter he had written to each student in the delegation.

Besides their display of solidarity, the students from St. John's Church of England School also made a monetary donation to support those affected by the earthquakes.

Over 50,000 people were killed when 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes struck southern and southeastern Turkish provinces on Feb. 6.