- Four South Africans in a Turkish prison were not injured in the quake, Dirco says.
- The department is following developments in the region.
- More than 5,000 people have died since two earthquakes hit the Turkey-Syria border.
Four South Africans held in a Turkish prison escaped injuries during the country’s earthquake, the Department for International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) said.
Speaking to News24 on Tuesday, department spokesman Clayson Monyela said the situation in the quake-hit country was being monitored.
“We know of four SA prisoners whose prison was affected, but there were no injuries. They are doing well. It is a developing situation, so we will continue to monitor it. Our embassy in Ankara stands ready to help any South African in need.” you may require it,” he said.
According to AFP, the death toll surpassed 5,000 on Tuesday following two earthquakes that struck the Turkey-Syria border on Monday.
The second earthquake, which struck the southeast of the country, had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale.
Several non-governmental organizations have deployed their teams to offer search and rescue services in the affected countries.
ROLL-UP COVER | 78 magnitude earthquake shakes Turkey and Syria
Among them are Gift of the Givers and five members of the department of emergency medical sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
The acting head of the university department, Simphiwe Sobuwa, said the team had the necessary skills to carry out urban search and rescue.
Sobuwa added that the team would gain valuable experience during the mission.
Sobuwa will travel alongside Louis Jordaan, Rozaan Norval, Xavier Millar and Raina Gihwala on Tuesday night.
The team will spend a week in Turkey.
