Photos: AA
Search and rescue teams yesterday (February 22) saved three cats trapped inside a residential complex in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır.
The Diyar Galeria residential complex was ordered to be demolished after it was left severely damaged in the February 6 Maraş earthquakes.
Early yesterday, heavy machinery entered the site to begin demolition while there were pets trapped inside the buildings.
Alper Yalçın, a columnist for bianet and an animal and children's rights activist, had told bianet that there were at least 14 pets inside the buildings.
Following reactions on social media, the Diyarbakır Governor's Office announced that the demolition had been halted.
The authorities then dispatched search and rescue teams equipped with two military helicopters and a crane.
Rescue efforts by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), firefighters and soldiers are still underway to rescue the other cats.
Galeria Sitesi’nde 9. katta mahsur kalan bir can dostumuzu daha kurtardık.
— Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyesi (@diyarbakirbld) February 23, 2023
Tüm ekiplerimize teşekkür ediyoruz.
Kurtarma çalışmalarımız devam ediyor.#Diyarbakır #galeriakurtarılmayıbekliyor pic.twitter.com/cnZMfwL7ZN
On February 6, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck the southern city of Maraş.
The quakes caused destruction in 10 cities in Türkiye's south and southeast, as well as Syria's northern parts.
Türkiye's official death toll from the quakes stands at over 42,000 and is expected to increase further, as over 100,000 buildings were completely destroyed or severely damaged.
Diyarbakır was one of the cities relatively less affected by the earthquake. Still, more than 1,000 people were killed in the city. (VK)
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