Kuwaitis in quake-hit Turkey 'safe and sound'

The Kuwaiti Embassy in Ankara yesterday confirmed that all Kuwaiti citizens currently known to be in Turkey are safe, following in the powerful earthquake that rocked the eastern regions of the country on Sunday, leaving hundreds dead, wounded and missing. The embassy would like to assure everyone that Kuwaiti nationals, either students or tourists, are safe and sound," said the statement, adding that from the first moments of the earthquake, the embassy had been in constant contact with the Turkish authorities to verify whether or not there were any Kuwaiti nationals among the victims. Until this moment, the embassy has not received any report of missing Kuwaiti nationals from the Turkish authorities," the statement stressed, urging the family members of Kuwaiti students or tourists in Turkey wishing to enquire about the wellbeing of their loved ones there to maintain regular contact with the embassy, using the phone numbers issued earlier by Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Eastern Turkish region was hit yesterday by an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, which killed about 237 people and injured more than 1,100, according to preliminary figures.