ISTANBUL (AP) — Millions of people across Turkey on Tuesday will mourn the loss of more than 53,000 friends, loved ones and neighbors in the country's catastrophic earthquake a year ago.
To mark what it calls the “Disaster of the Century," the government has arranged a series of events to commemorate the one-year anniversary of disaster in southern Turkey.
Hatay, which lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian border, was the worst affected of the 11 southern provinces hit by the 7.8 magnitude quake.
Including the 6,000 people killed in neighboring Syria, the quake left more than 59,000 dead.
He also will take part in handing over completed homes to survivors, and then spend the rest of the week touring other cities in the earthquake zone.
Persons:
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ozgur Ozel
Organizations:
Republican
Locations:
ISTANBUL, Turkey, Hatay, Ulu, Syrian, Syria, Kahramanmaras, rehouse, Gaziantep