February 07, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, Ismail Yusuf, has said no Nigerian has been identified as casualty of the earthquake that hit some cities in the country.
Yusuf said this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday.
According to him, the Embassy is on alert to know the state of every registered Nigerian in the country.
THEWILL reports that a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit some cities in South-eastern Turkey and Syria on Monday morning.
While over 3,400 people have been killed in the quake and thousands injured in Turkey, about 2,000 people have also been reported dead in Syria, with rescue operations still ongoing.
President Recep Erdogan said the earthquake was the worst disaster the country had experienced in 84 years.
Turkey had declared a national emergency in the country, soliciting international aid and humanitarian assistance.
Yusuf said rescue efforts were ongoing and there had been no report of any Nigerian casualty living in the affected region.
“Early morning on Monday at 4.17 a.m. local time, Turkiye was hit by 6.5 to 7.8 magnitude earthquakes across the cities of Malatya, Sanliurfa, Osmaniye, Diyarbakir and Gaziantep. We have no information of any Nigeria amongst the victims so far.
“This is work in progress. We are doing the best we can in the circumstance. Rescue efforts are progressing systematically, and in stages.
“It is too early to provide any specifics on the outcome of rescue and related matters, including census because the seven affected cities are mostly in ruins and many people are still trapped in several buildings.
“Furthermore, the rescue efforts are being slowed down by the seething winter, with snow everywhere”, Yusuf said.
Yusuf said President Muhammadu Buhari had commiserated with the government and people of Turkey, pledging Nigeria’s support and solidarity.
