Kenyan trio safe after Turkey earthquake

Harambee Starlets trio of Mwanahalima Adam Jereko, Vivian Nasaka and Phoebe Oketch who are based in Turkey are safe as rescue operations continue after the country and neighbours Syria were hit with a fatal 7.8-magnitude earthquake.

The earthquake has left over 5,000 people dead with thousands hospitalized and many others still trapped in the hubris. Among those saved is Ghanaian international Christian Atsu who plays for Turkish club Hayatspor. He was reported missing for the better part of Monday before he was rescued. He is currently hospitalized with a leg injury and breathing problems.

Luckily for Kenyan trio of Jereko, Nasaka and Oketch they are based far from the prince hit by the calamity. The three turn out for Turkish Women Premier League side, Hakkarigücü Spor. Jereko has confirmed that they are all safe

“We are stationed a bit far from the places that were affected and we are all safe at the moment. The tragedy was in the provinces of Hatay, Diyarbakir, Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, Adana, Adiyaman, Sanliurfa, Malatya, and Mardin but we are in Hakkari,” she told Mozzart Sport.

The Starlets captain added that having her homies in Turkey has made things a little easier. The league is currently on a break and will resume in March,

“Having two of my compatriots in the team, in a foreign land makes it feel like home more so at such a time. Our league is almost coming to an end but there is a break until March,” she added.

Turkey president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has since declared seven days of mourning the lives lost.

"Due to the earthquakes that took place in our country on February 6, 2023, a national mourning period was declared for seven days. Our flag will fly at half-mast until sunset on Sunday, February 12, 2023, all over our country and within the foreign representations,” he tweeted.

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