Italy honors Türkiye, Syria quake victims on L'Aquila anniversary

Italy paid tribute Thursday to Turkish and Syrian quake victims on the 14th anniversary of its L'Aquila earthquake, which killed 309 people.

As every year, commemoration programs were held for those who lost their lives on April 6, 2009, at 3:32 a.m. when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck.

Organized by L'Aquila Municipality, a march with torches was held in the city center in memory of those who died.

The torch in L'Aquila Earthquake Park, the destination of the march, was lit by Turkish researcher Cansu Sönmez and Syrian Rasha Youseff, who are pursuing their education in Italy.

The march gave a message of solidarity to those affected by the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes that killed over 50,000 people in Türkiye and neighboring Syria.

Afterward, a moment of silence was held for those who lost their lives in the earthquakes.

The mayor of L'Aquila, Pierluigi Biondi, and the first secretary of the Turkish Embassy in Rome, Hasan Enes Maboçoğlu, were also present at the ceremony.