TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan provided 40 tons of rice to Turkey's Hatay last Wednesday in aid of the 2023 earthquake.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Turkey on Feb. 6, 2023. It was the worst earthquake to hit the country in over two decades, leaving many areas still in ruins as of 2024, according to Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

Hatay province, located in southeastern Turkey bordering Syria, was one of the most severely impacted areas. The province thanked Taiwan for its continued support in assisting 8,000 families, per CNA.

Taiwan's representative to Turkey, Huang Chih-yang (黃志揚), visited Hatay Mayor Mehmet Onturk. Huang attended a donation ceremony at the TOKI-AFAD temporary shelter center, where Taiwan provided the 40 tons of rice.

The event was attended by province officials, over 100 recipient families, refugees, disaster victims, and representatives of people with disabilities. They expressed gratitude to Taiwan for remembering the victims of the disaster.

In his speech, Huang emphasized Taiwan’s quick response after the earthquake, including providing relief supplies and dispatching search-and-rescue teams. Taiwan has launched 12 relief projects across 11 affected provinces, covering areas such as emergency aid, food, shelter, health, and education, Huang noted.

Huang has visited Hatay 12 times to learn about post-disaster reconstruction, making it his most visited Turkish province. He expressed his gratitude to local officials for organizing the donation event and highlighted the four-year continuous rice aid as a symbol of Taiwan's support for the country.