Sympathy for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

The earthquake in Turkey and Syria has so far claimed over 4,000 victims. Earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.6 - 7.8 were measured in the province of Kahramanmaras near the Syrian border and then in the province of Gaziantep. In Syria, the devastating earthquakes have mainly affected people who already live defencelessly in disastrous conditions. There is help and sympathy from all over the world.

Bochol residents who have relatives in the earthquake area mourn the deceased and the injured.

"We met with the board of the Integration Council on Monday evening and immediately decided that because of the serious events in Turkey and Syria, we think it is very appropriate that we want to express our sympathy and condolences with the victims and their relatives," says Juan Lopez Casanava, chairman of the Integration Council of the city of Bocholt.

Especially in Bocholt, he said, there were many people of Turkish descent living in the regions that were particularly hard hit. "From south-east Anatolia, Adana, Malatya, Gazianteo, Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Elazig, Osmaniye, Hatay, northern Syria, many guest workers were recruited in the 1960s to work in the textile stronghold of Bocholt," says Mayor Thomas Kerkhoff.

"In the meantime, many links have been established with Bochol residents with international family histories and we personally know some people from the board who are currently affected locally or whose families are affected," says Memet Cinar, deputy chairman of the Integration Council.

"We would like to express our sympathy and condolences and are close to the families of those affected locally and to all relatives here in Bocholt and around the world in these difficult hours," Lopez Casanava and Kerkhoff conclude.