February 6, 2023
No. 030
A shallow, 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Kahramanmaraş Province in southern Türkiye in the early morning of February 6. Strong tremors were also felt in neighboring provinces, including Hatay, Gaziantep, and Adana. At present, 50 people are known to have been killed, hundreds have been injured, and many buildings have collapsed. At least 17 aftershocks have occurred. On behalf of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Director General of MOFA’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs Amb. Anthony Chung-yi Ho promptly extended sincere condolences to Representative of the Turkish Trade Office in Taipei Muhammed Berdibek over the casualties resulting from the earthquake. He also expressed Taiwan’s readiness to provide prompt rescue and relief assistance.
MOFA quickly instructed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara (TECM) to send back reports on the disaster situation. Thus far, it has not received any information on casualties among Taiwanese expatriates or nationals. TECM staff and their families are safe. TECM will continue to closely monitor whether any nationals have been affected and report back to MOFA immediately.
Disaster relief transcends borders. In a spirit of solidarity and humanitarian concern, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) announced a donation of US$200,000 to the Turkish government for disaster relief and the resettlement of people affected by the earthquake. Taiwan hopes that recovery work in disaster-stricken areas will commence soon. MOFA is proactively coordinating with Türkiye about dispatching a Taiwanese search and rescue team to assist in disaster relief operations. Progress in this regard will be announced as it occurs.
MOFA urges nationals living in or visiting Türkiye to remain vigilant, ensure their personal safety, and be mindful that aftershocks could occur at any time. Should nationals in Türkiye need emergency assistance, they can call TECM’s emergency hotline at +90-532-322-7162 or MOFA’s emergency hotline at 0800-085-095. (E)