German ministers visit Türkiye in wake of devastating earthquakes

KAHRAMANMARAS, Türkiye

Two senior German ministers on Tuesday visited the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras to gain a first-hand impression of the situation on the ground after the Feb. 6 devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser landed at the Gaziantep Airport in Gaziantep before heading to the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras, which was one of the epicenters of the earthquakes.

Accompanied by Bulent Tekbiyikoglu, governor of the city of Kirikkale, they visited the tent city in Pazarcik.

Bearbock and Faeser also visited a medical center established by German volunteer medical personnel.

They talked to victims and German doctors in the emergency camp to receive information about their healthcare services.

At least 42,310 people died in the quakes that jolted southern Türkiye earlier this month.

While German personnel traveled to the affected regions immediately after the earthquakes, Berlin has also provided aid supplies such as large tents, equipment for emergency shelters, and generators, according to its Foreign Ministry.