Politicians mark 1st anniversary of earthquake

ANKARA

On the first anniversary of the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, ministers and political party leaders have commemorated the victims with messages on their social media accounts.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared a post on social media at 04:17, when the first earthquake occurred in Kahramanmaraş, saying, "Exactly a year ago at this minute, we were shaken by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Pazarcık, Kahramanmaraş. The duration of the earthquake was 65 seconds, but it felt like a lifetime."

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan thanked the countries that stood by Türkiye during the earthquake and said, "On the anniversary of the disaster we experienced on Feb. 6, 2023, I wish God's mercy to our citizens who lost their lives and patience to their relatives. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the friendly countries that stand by us in our difficult times."

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said in his post: "From the first moments of this great disaster, which was recorded as the earthquake with the highest impact on land in the history of the world, we mobilized as the state and the nation to heal the wounds. The compassionate hand of our state reached everyone. Under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we will continue to work with determination and resolve to erase all traces of the earthquake.”

Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı, Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş and Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun also marked the first anniversary of the deadly quake on social media.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel said, "I feel like I have lost thousands of mothers, fathers, friends, sons and daughters. We will always try to heal together. Wish mercy to all the lives we lost."

İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener said, "On the first anniversary of the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, I wish mercy to the citizens we lost. We have not forgotten that great pain and that deep despair that plunged our country into mourning, and we will not let it be forgotten. Together we will build cities that hear, understand and sustain our people."

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said in a social media post: "The pain of our lost citizens is as fresh as the first day; it continues to burn our hearts. We healed our wounds with our hands and worked together to erase the traces of the disaster."