Durban - While the death toll from Monday’s earthquake which hit both sides of the Turkish and Syrian border has exceeded 21000, South Africans in the affected areas have been accounted for.
One South African family lost their home in Kahramanmaras, while a prison in which three South Africans were housed collapsed but all the prisoners escaped injury. Ten of Türkiye’s provinces were hit by the earthquake which has been described by Pesident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as a “disaster of the century”.
He declared a state of emergency to enable search and rescue teams to work speedily and effectively. Türkiye is among the top 10 destinations visited by South Africans.
The country’s ambassador to Pretoria, Aysegül Kandas, said at least 50000 tourists visited the country between January and September 2022. The country rebranded as Türkiye in place of Turkey, a process which began in 2021 with the aim of increasing the nation’s brand value. Marion Smith, a South African who has travelled to Türkiye for more than a decade and has visited some of the affected cities, said it was heartbreaking to see the destruction wrought by the earthquake.
She described the pain and suffering experienced by those affected as “unimaginable”. Smith, who has a son studying in Istanbul, visited Türkiye in December and returned last month.
“I’ve always found Turkish people to be friendly, warm and welcoming. To see them go through this makes me incredibly sad,” she said. Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, the South African ambassador in Türkiye, said a dark cloud had descended upon the nation which was in mourning.
“Indeed it’s a sombre mood. We wish to express our deepest condolences to the Turkish government on the loss of life and destruction of property. We also want to express our deepest sympathy to the injured, to those who are in hospitals, to the displaced, and to wish them a speedy recovery,” she said.
International Relations and Cooperation Department spokesperson Clayson Monyela said the department continued to monitor the situation.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE