PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed Malaysia’s solidarity in helping the people of Turkey affected by the recent earthquake.

Anwar, in a statement attached with photographs of his meeting with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on his Facebook page, said he also conveyed condolences from all Malaysians, in addition to stating the type of assistance that the Malaysian government has been working on.

“Together we pray that this sad incident passes quickly and Turkey recovers,” he said.

The prime minister was accompanied by Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Armizan Mohd Ali in his meeting with Erdogan in Ankara today.

Also present were Malaysian ambassador to Turkey Sazali Mustafa Kamal and Foreign Ministry secretary-general Amran Mohamed Zin.

On February 6, an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude hit southern Turkey and Syria. As of February 13, the death toll in Turkey was reported to have reached 31,644, with another 106,428 people injured, while in Syria, 5,329 have died and 14,500 injured.

As of yesterday, the Malaysian search and rescue team had successfully retrieved 47 bodies from under the rubble and rescued a family of five. – Bernama, February 15, 2023.