'Giving back': Volunteers from Greece's Turkish community rush to help quake victims

GUMULCINE, Greece

For volunteers from Greece’s Turkish minority community, being a part of earthquake relief efforts in the 11 southern Turkish provinces was all about “giving back” to Türkiye.

Speaking to Anadolu, Bilgehan Serifoglu from the village of Ketenlik in the Western Thrace region said he and his friends decided to join in as soon as they heard about the devastating Feb. 6 twin tremors.

He said they mostly worked in the provinces of Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, helping deliver critical supplies to remote villages in mountainous regions.

For us, this was about “giving back” to Türkiye, Serioglu asserted.

Huseyin Dangala, another volunteer, recalled a successful rescue at one of the sites where they were deployed.

“It was such a joy to be part of that moment,” he said.

Burhan Karadayi, who also made his way to Türkiye to help out, was full of praise for the sense of solidarity among people in the affected areas.

The death toll so far is over 41,100 in 11 southern Turkish provinces – Kahramanmaras, Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk