Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan committed on Saturday to restore the country’s southern region, which was devastated by massive earthquakes on Feb. 6, killing more than 50,000 people.
“Our goal is to repair our cities in the earthquake zone within a year by handing over 319,000 dwellings and village houses to owners,” Erdogan declared during a groundbreaking ceremony in quake-ravaged Elazig province.
Erdogan stated that Turkey will wipe the remnants of the disaster’s devastation and will prepare “more aggressively” for future calamities.
Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa were among the 11 Turkish provinces hit by 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes.
The earthquakes have affected about 13.5 million people in Turkey, as well as many more in northern Syria.
Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa were among the 11 Turkish provinces hit by 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes. The earthquakes have affected about 13.5 million people in Turkey, as well as many more in northern Syria.