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Deputy Interior Minister caught in earthquake during live broadcast: 'Public buildings undamaged'

Deputy Interior Minister Münir Karaloğlu was giving a press statement in Sulusaray, Tokat, the epicenter of the earthquake, when the tremor occurred.

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Deputy Interior Minister Karaloğlu conducted inspections in Sulusaray, Tokat, the epicenter of the earthquake.

In his press statement, Karaloğlu noted that damage occurred in 385 residences, 87 barns, 11 mosques, and 1 bakery across 4 districts and 37 villages, stating, “There have been 5 earthquakes centered in Sulusaray so far, and 41 aftershocks. I convey my best wishes to all our fellow citizens in Tokat and Yozgat. May God protect us from worse and keep us safe.

Our greatest consolation is that, so far, there are no injuries or loss of life. Our friends and teams are currently in the field, and all villages have been scanned.

All our villages affected by the earthquake, including 3 districts in Tokat and 3 districts in Yozgat, have now been scanned. So far, there have been 576 earthquake-related reports to our 112 emergency call center in Tokat and 250 in Yozgat. As a result of preliminary inspections, there is damage in 3 districts and 30 villages in our Tokat province, affecting 191 residences, 84 barns, 7 mosques, and 1 bakery; these are damaged, not collapsed.

In Yozgat province, we have preliminary damage assessments in 1 district, 7 villages, 94 residences, 4 mosques, and 3 barns,” he said.

"DO NOT ENTER DAMAGED HOUSES"

Calling for people not to enter damaged houses, Karaloğlu said, “No citizen whose house is damaged or has cracks should use their home. We are ready to take them in and host them. Dormitories have been prepared. A call has been made to our citizens. So far, 30 of our citizens have applied to stay in dormitories.”

"PUBLIC BUILDINGS UNDAMAGED"

Stating that no public buildings were damaged in the earthquake, Karaloğlu said, “According to the information provided by our governor, we currently have no damage to public institutions and organizations in the region. We have no damage to our schools or public service buildings; hopefully, we will continue to provide public services in our buildings. Rations have been prepared and are currently being distributed.

Furthermore, our soup kitchens are being set up in three of our districts in Tokat to provide hot meals. Hopefully, we will also offer our citizens the opportunity for hot meals.

Currently, we have no problems with transportation, infrastructure, electricity, or communication in the region. Our roads are open, and there is no village without energy or communication facilities. As a precaution, we have suspended education in Tokat for one day. In our Yozgat province, we have also suspended education for one day in the Çekerek, Kadışehri, and Aydıncık districts,” he said.

"750 PERSONNEL AND 150 VEHICLES IN THE REGION"

Stating that 150 vehicles and 750 personnel are on duty in the region, Karaloğlu said, “Search and rescue teams from many of our provinces, from Diyarbakır to Van, have reached the region. Local teams have also reached the region. Currently, 750 of our personnel are waiting in the region to assist our citizens. 150 aid vehicles have also reached the region,” he said.

"DISINFORMATION WARNING"

In his statement, Karaloğlu issued a warning about disinformation, saying, “Unfortunately, there is disinformation on social media again. Our call to our citizens is not to rely on any information not announced by AFAD. We are informing our citizens very quickly through AFAD. Our citizens should have no hesitation.”