A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkiye, killing thousands, and Turkish football legend Volcan Demirel wept for help.
On the 6th (local time), Volkan Demirel said through Instagram Live, “Please help. People are dying,” he said. “Please send your resources.”
He spoke calmly at the beginning of the video, but soon he was overcome with emotion and sobbed, adding to the sadness. “After the earthquake, I was worried about the team players, but there was no way to contact them,” said Demirel. “The whole place was devastated. The situation is very bad,” he said.
Demirel is currently the head coach of Turkish professional football team Hatayspor. Hatayspor, the hometown of Hatayspor, is a place adjacent to the Gaziantep region where the earthquake started, and suffered enormous damage from this earthquake.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkiye on Tuesday, destroying a mosque in Malatya. AP/NewsisOn the 7th (local time), foreign media such as CNN, citing the announcements of Turkey and Syria, reported that at least 7,266 people have died from the strong earthquake that occurred on the 6th. It is also known that 35,626 people were injured.
The number of casualties is expected to increase due to the continuing aftershocks and bad weather. The World Health Organization (WHO) feared the death toll could exceed 20,000.
The international community, including the United States, Japan, and China, is sending aid. The Korean government also dispatched an emergency relief team of 118 people, including search and rescue teams and military personnel.
Meanwhile, manager Demirel is considered one of the best goalkeepers in Turkiye’s history. For 17 years he was the goalkeeper for Fenerbahçe, a prestigious Turkish club, and appeared in 63 A-match matches for the national football team.
In 2021, Demirel drew attention by praising Korean national defender Kim Min-jae (Naples) when he was playing for Fenerbahce, saying, “If today’s game was a’squid game’, the main character is Kim Min-jae.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.