KUALA LUMPUR FEB. 6: As a show of solidarity and sympathy with the people of the Republic of Turkiye that were jolted by 7.8 magnitude earthquake near the city of Gaziantep on 6 February 2023, Malaysia is sending a team from the Special Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) to Istanbul this evening.
Minister of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Datuk Seri Dr. Zambry Abd. Kadir said, the team will assist the local authorities in the search and rescue mission team.
“MOFA through the embassy in Ankara and the Consulate General in Istanbul, will continue monitoring the developments closely in the aftermath of the earthquake,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a press conference today said 912 had been killed and 5,385 injured in Turkiye as quoted by Guardian and the death toll had been increased to 1,200 as of 6pm Malaysian time.
Malaysians in Turkiye are urged to register with the Embassy in Ankara or the Consulate General in Istanbul at the following contact details:
Embassy of Malaysia in Ankara, phone -00(90-312) 4463547/4463548 ; email: mwankara@kln.gov.my. Consulate General Istanbul: phone-00 (90-212) 9891001; email: mwistanbul@kln.gov.my
On another development, the Majlis Perundingan Islam Malaysia (Mapim) had launched an Emergency Aid Fund to help the earthquake victims in Turkiye. It was reported that many have been trapped under the debris of the fallen buildings.
The winter and bad weather had made the search and rescue missions very difficult.
“As a sign of solidarity and concern with the victims’ difficulties in Turkiye, Mapim Malaysia urges the people to contribute to the fund.
Contributions could be made via Tabung Kemanusiaan MAPIM (maybank 562263540066)
“Mapim Malaysia will be taking the aid mission to Turkiye in the nearest future,” said the statement. –Malaysia World News
