Erdoğan: We revive earthquake-hit region with solidarity

ADIYAMAN

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has highlighted the government's recovery efforts on the second anniversary of the devastating earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye.

“We are rightfully proud of reviving the region with the solidarity of our state and our nation,” Erdoğan said on Feb. 6 at an event in Adıyaman, one of the quake-hit cities.

Erdoğan outlined the government’s response to the disaster, noting that the state had “mobilized all its resources” from the moment the earthquake struck, sending 650,000 personnel to the field.

“We worked day and night, tirelessly, patiently and resolutely... Everyone came together as one," he said.

"We will continue to stand by our brothers in the earthquake zone with all our units and resources."

The president highlighted investments in the region since the disaster, including over 2.6 trillion Turkish Liras in the past two years. For 2025, 584 billion liras has been earmarked for further recovery efforts, he recalled.

He pointed to infrastructure developments, such as the renewal of housing, drinking water and sewage lines.

The construction of 110 health facilities has been completed, and 34 field hospitals and 176 emergency response units have been established.

Additionally, 10,000 judicial personnel, including 1,000 judges and prosecutors, have been assigned to earthquake-affected areas.

Erdoğan also detailed ongoing construction projects, including 13 courthouses, 10 penal institutions and a forensic medicine clinic. In the education sector, 524 schools have been completed, with the construction of 1,241 additional schools set to increase classroom capacity by 10 percent.

A 336-kilometer connection and zoning road has begun construction, and the Hatay Airport runway is under development, the president informed.

Additionally, 15 organized industrial zones have received a resource allocation of 14 billion liras, with 34 industrial areas designated for recovery.

A budget of 3 billion liras has been set aside for the reconstruction of industrial enterprises, while 1,116 investments in the region will create jobs for over 50,000 people, Erdoğan said.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has also carried out maintenance and repair work on 12 cemevis, he added.

The twin earthquakes on Feb. 6, 2023, measuring magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5, struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria. They killed more than 53,000 people in Türkiye and over 8,000 in Syria.

The quakes were the deadliest to hit the region in two decades. The initial 7.8 magnitude quake struck near Kahramanmaraş in the early hours, followed by the second powerful tremor further north later that day.

The destruction spanned 11 Turkish provinces, including Hatay, Gaziantep and Malatya, and severely impacted Syrian regions such as Aleppo and Idlib.

In the early hours of the day, Erdoğan commemorated the victims in a post on X.

"I pray to God for mercy on each of our 53,537 brothers and sisters we lost. I once again wish patience to the families of our earthquake martyrs and our nation," Erdoğan wrote.

"We will continue our construction and renovation efforts with labor, sweat, fortitude and a steely will until our cities are fully on their feet again."