In the wake of a devastating earthquake on Monday that has reportedly killed more than 21,000 people across Turkey and Syria, Mayor Eric Adams showed solidarity with Brooklyn’s Turkish community at the American Turkish Eyup Sultan Cultural Center in Brighton Beach during a Friday prayer service.
According to published reports, at least 78,124 people were injured in both countries as of Friday by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit southern and central Turkey as well as western Syria. The quake was followed by a series of aftershocks, one nearly as powerful as the first seismic event, that altogether toppled hundreds of buildings in both countries.
Many people were still being pulled from the rubble of collapsed structures on Friday including a 10-day-old baby and his mother.
The quake was reportedly the region’s deadliest in two decades.
While delivering remarks outside the mosque on Friday afternoon, Adams reflected on how the devastating quake may be impacting Brooklyn’s large Turkish community, which he said is one of the largest in the United States.
“This is one of the worst earthquakes in over 500 years, the number of lives and numbers continue to increase over and over again,” Adams said. “I’m sure everyone here, they are holding their breath hoping not to hear the name of a family member or a loved one. But even if you don’t hear that name, you know is your neighbor, is your colleague, is your friend. This is a very close knit community. And we are all feeling the pain that Turkey is going through right now.”
Adams said he has had a strong connection with Brooklyn’s Turkish community going back to his days as borough president and as a state Senator.
“I wanted to be here, not only as the mayor of the city, but you were here with me as the borough president, as a state senator,” Adams said. “You are my friends, my brothers, my sisters. We have prayed together here in the mosque behind us. We have navigated difficult times…
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