Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has presented medals to domestic and foreign teams that contributed to the search and rescue efforts after the powerful February 6 earthquakes hit southern Türkiye, claiming the lives of more than 50,000 people in the country.
"Today, we will present medals to domestic and foreign search and rescue teams who made sacrifices during the quakes on February 6," Erdogan said at the ceremony of presidential medal and order of distinguished humanitarian service on Tuesday.
He said 55,000 people, who became the "symbols of the struggle" after the earthquakes, will be presented with the medal and order.
Stressing that twin quakes were one of the "most destructive" natural disasters not only in Türkiye but also in the history of humanity, Erdogan said: "Our prayer is that neither our country nor any other country in the world will face disasters like the one occurred on February 6. We do not want anyone else to go through what we experienced."
Erdogan said 11,320 personnel from 90 countries came to Türkiye after the quakes, and 60 countries and international organisations sent nearly 250,000 tents to the region, adding: "We know all of our true friends."
"We will continue our efforts until the wounds are completely healed and the traces of the earthquake are completely erased," the president said.
Source: TRTworld.com