Page 22 - CH 2-2023 EN

NEWS
TURKEY
Ankara
Kahramanmaraş
Gaziantep
Adana
Hatay
Aleppo
SYRIA
22 II / 2023
The Earthquakes in Turkey
Carpet production
resumes but more
aid is needed
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck south-eastern Turkey at 4:17 a.m. local time on
6 February 2023, which was followed by major aftershocks. Collapsing buildings left many smaller towns destroyed entirely; the death toll exceeds 50,000. Gaziantep, a city of 2.1 million located some 60 kilometres from the epicentre, was hit as well – which
is the country’s fifth-largest industrial centre, and the heart of the Turkish carpet industry.
The damage there was less than in the sur- rounding area, but Gaziantep was affected by building collapses too. The industrial ar- eas where carpet production sites are located were less affected as well by the earthquake’s destruction.
Caglar Kepekchi of carpet producer Medipa/ Merinos reported on the day of the disaster that production halted immediately at the company’s facilities in Gaziantep: “The top priority was to look after our staff and their families. In the immediate aftermath of the
disaster, huge aid efforts commenced. Merinos for example donated five million euros and provided 130,000 blankets and 100,000 square meters of carpet on short notice. Our custom- ers too, including Tedox, the Lutz Group and Poco, called us immediately and sent pallets of urgently needed supplies, such as heaters, ket- tles and hygiene items. UPS and Turkish Air- lines organised an airlift service, assuming all costs.”
Jan Bonte of Üstünsoy related how many com- panies immediately set up accommodations