Turkish president names baby of earthquake victim at Istanbul hospital
- Türkiye
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 09:14 | 14 February 2023
- Modified Date: 09:27 | 14 February 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday named the newborn baby of an earthquake victim at a hospital in Istanbul.
During his visit to survivors at Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, Erdoğan recited the adhan, or Muslim call to prayer, in the newborn girl's ear and named her "Ayşe Betül," repeating it three times.
The naming came at the request of the baby's mother.
Thousands of survivors of last week's earthquakes in southern Türkiye are currently receiving treatment in many cities, including Istanbul and Ankara.
At least 31,643 people died in the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6. More than 80,000 others were injured.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in Kahramanmaraş province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, which also included Hatay, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakır, Kilis, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa.
Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.
- Over 35,410 dead from powerful twin earthquakes in southern Türkiye
- NATO ministers commemorate Türkiye quake victims in minute of silence
- Gulf countries raise $385 million in donations for quake victims in Türkiye, Syria
- UNESCO members in solidarity with quake-hit Türkiye
- Children's playground established in southern Türkiye to heal psychological scars left by quakes