Germany to issue emergency visas to Turkish, Syrian earthquake victims

Srinagar February, 12 ( PTK) Germany will grant three-month visas to Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims with family in the country, the interior minister said.

“This is emergency aid,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told the daily newspaper Bild. “We want to allow Turkish or Syrian families in Germany to bring their close relatives from the disaster area to their homes without bureaucracy,” added Faeser.

More than 28,000 people were killed in the devastating earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria on Monday.

It reached 28,192 on Saturday (local time), with Turkey’s death toll climbing to 24,617, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said in a news conference.

In Syria, the total number of confirmed deaths stands at 3,575, including 2,167 in rebel-held areas in the northwest, according to the White Helmets civil defense group.

An additional 1,408 deaths have been recorded in government-controlled territories, according to Syrian state media, which cited the country’s health ministry.

Faeser said that those eligible can have “regular visas, issued quickly and valid for three months”. (PTK)