By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africans detained in a Turkey prison survived during the earthquake in the country, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) said.
The department’s spokesperson, Clayson Monyela, said “We are aware of SA prisoners whose prison was affected, but there were no injuries. They’re fine. Our embassy in Ankara is on standby to assist any South African who may require it,” he said.
South Africa’s ambassador to Turkiye, Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, confirmed on Tuesday that a prison with seven South Africans inside collapsed in the country during Monday’s deadly series of earthquakes.
The ambassador said no other South Africans are reported to have been caught up in the quake, but the prison was a concern
“We don’t have any people that are working in the area. We are told the prison has also collapsed. We are waiting, anxiously so, to receive information,” said Letsatsi-Duba.
The confirmed death toll soared on Tuesday, with government agencies in both Turkiye and Syria reporting more than 5,000 people had been killed and thousands more injured.
The World Health Organization has warned the death toll could rise as high as 20,000 as rescuers continue to comb through mountains of rubble in the hope of finding survivors.
“The United Nations is mobilising to support the emergency response and so let’s work together in solidarity to assist all those hit by this disaster, many of whom were already in dire need of humanitarian aid,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
South Africa is among countries rallying to assist.
Search and rescue, as well as medical teams from the humanitarian aid group Gift of the Givers, were expected to depart for the disaster stricken region from Tuesday.
“We will work in association with the Turkish government and other teams that are coming from across the world,” said the aid group’s founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman.
Gift of the Givers Responds to the Earthquake in #Turkey ?? . https://t.co/dua7v5LVdV pic.twitter.com/s97gpB1mRu
— Gift of the Givers (@GiftoftheGivers) February 6, 2023
“If necessary, we will purchase items in Turkiye, including cans, blankets, medicine, food and whatever else is required for humanitarian support. We offer our condolences to the Turkish government and the people in this huge tragedy.”
Sooliman said the freezing temperatures across both countries was expected to add to the death toll.