April 30, 2015

Turkish school shelters mountaineer in Nepal

Ufuk Yünlü, a Turkish mountaineer who was caught on Mount Everest at an altitude of 5,100 meters during last Saturday's devastating earthquake in Nepal, has been offered shelter at Turkish Meridian International School.

A powerful magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit Nepal's capital and Kathmandu Valley on Saturday, leaving more than 5,000 dead and around 10,000 others injured. Following the earthquake, Yünlü managed to climb down Mount Everest, also known as Sagarmāthā, whose peak is 8,848 meters above sea level.

Yünlü later contacted the Turkish teachers at Meridian International School, which were founded in 2002 by entrepreneurs inspired by the teachings of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. Fatih Doğan, one of the school's managers, offered shelter to Yünlü.

Speaking to private Cihan news agency, Yünlü thanked the Turkish educators who helped him, saying that he had heard of the existence of the Turkish schools for the first time from the documentary series “Ayna” hosted by Saim Orhan.

Turkish charity's doctors provide free medical services in Nepal

The Turkish aid organization Kimse Yok Mu dispatched a medical team consisting of doctors and nurses to Nepal to provide free medical check-ups on Wednesday.

Another 12-member team called the Asian Search and Rescue team, which carries out its activities under the auspices of Kimse Yok Mu, had arrived at the quake-hit area on Sunday evening and are working as part of the rescue operations in Katmandu.

Dr. Ali Halıcı, one of the charity's volunteer doctors said they will give free medical aid to the people of Nepal who were wounded during the earthquake. He also said that they have begun providing assistance in the garden of Meridian International School. Hundreds of people, mainly children, have received treatment since Wednesday, Halıcı said.

Kimse Yok Mu Chairman İsmail Cingöz announced in a Twitter post on Sunday that the organization has begun accepting donations to buy medical supplies and food to help the disaster's victims.

Published on Today's Zaman, 30 April 2015, Thursday

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