Turkish football fans throw toys onto the pitch for child victims of earthquake as another tremor hits country

27 February 2023, 15:54

Fans of Besiktas threw plush toys onto the pitch at their latest game to be donated to the child victims of the devastating earthquake which hit on February 6 - as another tremor hit Turkey today.

The clock was paused at four minutes and 17 seconds in the match between Besiktas and Antalyaspor yesterday before fans threw the children's items onto the pitch.

The time was chosen in memorials of those who died in the first earthquake which began at 4.17am.

It comes after 50,000 people have been confirmed to have died in the devastating earthquakes which struck Turkey and Syria beginning on February 6 and has continued through to today's 5.2 magnitude tremor which killed one and trapped several others in collapsed buildings.

Players from both sides warmed up for the game in t-shirts which carried the names of the southern Turkish cities which bore the brunt of the disaster.

The spell of activity began with two almost simultaneous 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude quakes in early February and has led to over 9,000 aftershocks.

Today's earthquake hit near Yeşilyurt in the east of Turkey at a depth 6.15km.

Rescue teams carried at least one man alive from the rubble with 110 reported injuries across 29 collapsed buildings, according to Turkish authorities.

Besiktas wrote: "Our fans organised a meaningful event called 'This toy is my friend' during the match in order to give morale to the children affected by the earthquake.

"The fans threw scarves, berets and plush toys to be given as a gift to the children in the earthquake region."

The Turkish Super Lig has seen both Gaziantep and Hatayspor withdraw after the earthquake - with Hatayspor's Chrstian Atsu losing his life in the aftermath of the tremor.