ASTANA – Kazakh native Sabina Mamadyarova was found alive after being trapped for hours under the rubble in Hatay, Türkiye on Feb. 8, said the Kazakh Foreign Ministry in a statement published on its Telegram channel. She was taken to hospital with a broken arm.
Destroyed house where Kazakh citizens were last seen. Photo credit: Screenshot from Kazinform video.
The rubble under which two Kazakh citizens, Astana Hub international agent and businessman Mirus Kurmashev and Adil Kadyrbekov, are allegedly located has begun to be dismantled, wrote the Astana Hub CEO Magzhan Madiyev in his Instagram post.
According to Madiyev, a crane arrived at the site of the collapse of the house, where three Kazakhs and one Turkish citizen were on the night before the earthquake.
At the moment, rescue teams continue to work to free three Kazakh citizens who have been trapped under debris for more than 72 hours in Hatay. They respond to the calls from rescuers and ask for water. Medical workers had attempted to give them water through a dropper.
“Having learned the approximate last location of the missing people, Kazakh Ambassador to Türkiye Yerkebulan Sapiyev spoke with the leadership of the Turkish Interior Ministry, and they sent a rescue team to the site. Now, the rescuers are removing the rubble of the house where Kazakh citizens were last seen. So far, only Sabina Mamadyarova and their Turkish friend Kubilai Keskin have been found. The rescue operation continues. We hope the rest of the people will also be found,” reads the Kazakh ministry’s statement.
On the night of Feb. 8 well-known Sphere Nur-Alem was painted in the colors of the Turkish flag in Astana as a gesture of solidarity. Photo credit: akorda.kz.
Meanwhile, Kazakh people living in Türkiye collected over 35 million tenge (US$76,840) to assist quake victims, according to Kazinform.
According to Kazakh akyn (impromptu poet) Ainur Tursynbayeva, who initiated the fundraising, 70 tons of humanitarian aid were sent to the Kahramanmaraş region on Feb. 8.
Turkish Ambassador to Kazakhstan Ufuk Ekici thanked the Kazakh President and people for supporting Türkiye during the Feb. 8 press conference in Astana.
“The people of Kazakhstan extend not only their condolences but also express their readiness to provide financial and material assistance,” Ekici said, as quoted by Kazinform.
Residents of Gaziantep expressed their gratitude to the Kazakh rescuers for their assistance in eliminating the consequences of the earthquake.
“I want to express my gratitude to the fraternal Kazakh people and Kazakhstan for helping the residents of our city, Gaziantep… I am a resident of one of these destroyed buildings. After I left the house, the building collapsed, and I miraculously survived. I want to say thank you to the Kazakh rescuers. May the Almighty be pleased with you,” a Gaziantep resident said, as quoted by Kazinform.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also instructed the Kazakh government to send humanitarian aid to Syria through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, reported the Akorda press service on Feb. 9.
