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Turkish president considers current disaster, the worst in Türkiye

Ankara, Feb 12.- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today described the recent earthquakes as three times bigger and more destructive than the one that occurred in 1999, so far the biggest disaster in the country’s history.
The president visited this Saturday the city of Diyarbakir, in the southeast of Türkiye and located on the banks of the Tigris River and capital of the province of the same name, considered the second most populous in the southeast region after Gaziantep.

According to Anadolu Agency, Erdogan confirmed that some 21,000 people lost their lives and more than 80,000 were injured as a result of the quakes, and stated that some 160,000 rescuers, including foreigners, are carrying out search tasks in the 10 most affected provinces. .

Likewise, the president expressed his gratitude to all the countries that sent humanitarian aid and showed solidarity with search and rescue teams.

On the other hand, the Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said on this day that the total number of deaths could exceed 50,000 in the final count.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)