Abdullah Gül says happy to see nation united after quake

"I am very happy to see that our nation has united in the face of such a great pain. Everyone from the east, the west, the south and the north is rushing [to help the victims] as if they have lost a relative in the quake. All our brothers in Van will see that they are not alone. The helping hand of the state on one side the helping hand of the whole nation will embrace them,” Gül said on Tuesday.

The president said although he was planning to visit the quake area, he had delayed his visit in order not to obstruct rescue and relief efforts. He said he will go to Van once everything begins to return to normality.

A 7.2-magnitude quake killed at least 370 people and knocked down more than 2,000 buildings in Van on Sunday. Dozens of civil society organizations, businesses, government institutions and individuals from all around the country have started to send aid packages and rescue teams to help the victims of the earthquake since Sunday.