On the first anniversary of the disaster, Erdogan pledges to provide safe shelter for everyone affected by the earthquake in Türkiye

The earthquake left tens of thousands dead and great destruction in southern Türkiye (Reuters)

Today, Turkey commemorated the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake disaster that claimed the lives of tens of thousands and left massive destruction to homes and property.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged that his government would continue the reconstruction of the affected areas and provide a safe shelter for every citizen whose home was damaged by the disaster.

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This came in a blog post published by the Turkish President, today, Tuesday, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, with a magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale, followed hours later by another with a magnitude of 7.6, and hundreds of violent aftershocks.

In his blog post, Erdogan expressed his mercy to the victims of the earthquake, and stressed that such huge disasters represent a challenge and a test at the same time for the unity, brotherhood and strength of peoples.

He praised the position of the Turkish people, who "presented a historic stance" during the disaster, and stressed that the government is continuing its efforts with resolve and determination to implement the commitments and pledges it made to the people.

In this context, Erdogan indicated the continuation of reconstruction and revival work in the affected areas, stressing that they will continue until providing a safe shelter for every citizen whose house collapsed due to the disaster.

At dawn on Tuesday, the mosques of Istanbul witnessed commemorations of the earthquake victims and prayers for them. In the Fatih Mosque in the European side of the city, Istanbul Mayor Davut Gul, its Mufti Safi Erbagush and other officials participated with citizens in an event to pray for the earthquake victims.

The Grand Çamlıca Mosque in the Asian side of the city also witnessed a similar event after the dawn prayer, like many mosques in Istanbul.

After performing the dawn prayer, verses from the Holy Qur’an were recited for the souls of the victims, followed by an invocation of prayers for them.

According to official government figures, 53,537 people died in the earthquake and its aftershocks in Turkey alone, and official sources indicate that about 690,000 people are still in temporary homes that were hastily erected after the disaster.

Source: Agencies