Although there was information that some Africans might have been affected by the earthquake in Turkey, there had been no information yet about any Nigerian casualty, the Vice President of the Nigerian Community in Turkey, Enifoma Ubogu, said on Tuesday.

According to him, the Nigerian community was trying to send help, including “20 able-bodied men” to help in recovery efforts with the Turkish authorities.

A huge earthquake on Monday killed thousands of people across a swathe of Turkey.

The magnitude 7.8 quake brought down whole apartment blocks in Turkish cities, described as the worst tremor to strike Turkey in the 21^st century.

The death toll, according to Vice President Fuat Oktay, stood at 1,541.

In Diyarbakir in South East Turkey, a woman speaking next to the wreckage of the seven-storey block where she lived said, “We were shaken like a cradle. There were nine of us at home. Two sons of mine are still in the rubble, I’m waiting for them.”

She was nursing a broken arm and had injuries to her face.

Ubogu in an interview with The PUNCH from Istanbul, said it was a sad development.

He said, “Hello Brother, Good morning. Yes, it’s a very sad one here in Turkey. The earthquake really destroyed things. We have information that some Africans might have been affected, but we don’t know directly if there was any Nigerian affected at this moment.

“Another thing is that most of the Nigerians live in Istanbul and other parts. Hatay is a place where Africans live as well and it was affected, but we have no independent confirmation whether there’s any Nigerian that has been badly affected by the earthquake.

He added that the community was planning to send “20 able-bodied men” to help the Turkish authorities in their efforts to rescue those trapped in the rubbles.

“But just for your information, as a community here, we are trying to organise to see how we can send help as well. We are planning to send as many as 20 able-bodied men to help in recovery efforts with the Turkish authorities.

“Turkey is located in the earthquake zone, and so, it’s a common occurrence here. Before now, there have been quite number of tremors, even in Istanbul. Personally, I have experienced it, you just feel the house shaking, like somebody is trying to remove the carpet under your leg. So, everybody knows that this is a possibility in Turkey and unfortunately, there is really no remedy against these natural events. It is just for us to be prayerful and spiritual.

“At the moment, it’s not in Istanbul and most of the Nigerians are in Istanbul,” he added. (The PUNCH)

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