Chinese volunteers boost morale of Turkish quake survivors

by Burak Akinci

KAHRAMANMARAS, Türkiye, May 6 (Xinhua) — In Türkiye’s southern province of Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the massive tremors in February, Chinese volunteers are making efforts to boost the morale of quake survivors.

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Homes on large swaths of land were devastated on Feb. 6 by twin earthquakes and associated aftershocks, which in total claimed nearly 51,000 lives.

After the quake, the Turkish-Chinese Private Chamber of Commerce mobilized resources to build a tent village for displaced Turkish civilians in Kahramanmaras with support from the Chinese Charity Federation and authorities of the nearby Melikgazi district.

Aids from China have boosted the morale of local residents, especially the children, who’ve been psychologically affected by the catastrophe, the worst in Türkiye’s recent history.

“We have a great time in various activities with Chinese volunteers, for example, we watched football games with them, and it was great fun. We also learned Chinese and played games,” Emir Camkomuru, a 13-year-old earthquake victim, told Xinhua.

Another teenager, Yusuf Eren Cay, 16, extended “heartfelt” thanks to China for the support given to the local community.

“Following the earthquake, we were directed to this site with my family at the Chinese tent village,” the teenager said.

Relief and rescue teams from China were among the first to come to the earthquake-hit regions spanning over 11 provinces, saving many Turkish citizens from rubbles of collapsed buildings.

In addition to rescue teams dispatched by the Chinese government, 441 personnel from 17 private Chinese emergency response teams also joined the rescue and relief work after the quake, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Chinese volunteers at the tent village said they are seeking to keep the morale of the nearly 300 residents in the complex up.

“During the construction of this site, we overcame difficulties such as aftershocks, lack of water and electricity, and it took only ten days from the start of construction to the move-in of the first batch of residents,” Fang Mingdao, one of the Chinese volunteers, explained.

“The complex is equipped with 83 tents to accommodate 287 earthquake victims, including 72 children under ten,” he said.

The resettlement site, according to Fang, has also been equipped with a prayer room, a health care room, and a laundry room to meet the basic living needs of residents.

Wang Qin, a colleague of Fang, said various activities have been planned for kids who’ve been seriously upset by sufferings from the quake.

“I teach the children Chinese and play games with them. I try to enrich their spare time. We have a dozen or twenty students in each class every time. They like our Chinese class very much,” Qin added. ■