Erdoğan: earthquake affects every 5th Turkish citizen

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said almost 20 million people were affected by last Monday's earthquakes.

Addressing the World Government Summit in the UAE on Tuesday in a video message, he also said more than 8,000 people were rescued alive from the rubble. The president expressed Türkiye's appreciation of support from the international community.

Erdoğan said Türkiye was grateful to all the countries for the help they provided for the search and rescue and relief efforts in the aftermath of the powerful twin earthquakes.

Türkiye, which is facing one of the "greatest natural disasters" not only in its history but also in the history of humanity, will never forget "the friendship you showed on this dark day," the Turkish leader said.

The earthquake disaster "once again showed the importance of international solidarity," Erdoğan stressed, as Türkiye has received messages of support and condolences from more than 100 countries, including the UAE, which is hosting the summit.