Wednesday February 8, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - At least nine Somali nationals are missing following the earthquake in Turkey, where more than 5,000 people have died, friends and students said.
In an interview with VOA Somali Awale Ahmed Darfac, Awale Ahmed Darfac, a Somali student studying in the city of Gaziantep in Southern Turkey, said twelve students were missing. Three Somali students were rescued but are now seriously injured and recovering in local hospitals.
The students were at home when the earthquake struck. Many were housed on campus in dormitories or apartments near the university.
The number of dead or injured Somalis in the Gaziantep area is still unknown.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud offered Turkish President Erdogan condolences and wished the injured people a speedy recovery.
The massive 7.8 magnitude quake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria in the early hours of Monday as most people were asleep in their homes.
Emergency workers are now desperately trying to save people trapped beneath rubble after thousands of buildings collapsed. There are fears that the death toll, which has already reached 5,000, is expected to rise.
The latest statistics show that Turkey is home to 5,518 Somali diasporas, most of whom are students.