On the first anniversary of the February 6 earthquakes, Hatay, one of the cities most affected by destruction and loss, saw protests against Mayor Lütfü Savaş.
Despite receiving criticism for his remarks during the earthquake period, the Republican People's Party (CHP) nominated Savaş again as the Mayor of Hatay Metropolitan Municipality in the coming March 31 local elections.
Savaş, who attended the commemoration held at 04:17, the time of the earthquake, was met with disapproval.
As chants of "Lütfü resign" echoed through the area, Savaş had to leave the scene.
A group of Hatay residents did not relent until Savaş left the area. Savaş exited the scene escorted by his security detail.
Anger in Antakya at the anniversary of the earthquake: The minister booed
February 6 earthquakes
On 6 February 2023, at 04:17, a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. It was followed by a Mw 7.7 earthquake at 13:24 centered 95 km northeast from the first.
There was widespread damage in an area of about 350,000 km2, about the size of Germany. An estimated 14 million people, or 16 percent of Turkey's population, were affected. Development experts from the United Nations estimated that about 1.5 million people were left homeless. The confirmed death toll in Turkey was 53,537 and estimates of the number of dead in Syria were between 5,951 and 8,476. (Source: Wikipedia)
(RT/PE)
