Famous Chef Helps Soldiers Prepare Food For Evacuated Citizens

A famous Turkish chef joined forces with emergency crews working in evacuation centres to make sure citizens affected by the earthquake were well-fed and taken care of.

This footage obtained by Newsflash from the Turkish Ministry of National Defence shows famous nationwide chef Mehmet Yalcinkaya helping prepare food for people evacuated in Hatay Province.

Other cooks join him as they fill up giant cooking kettles with hot soups and stews that are to be handed out among the hungry citizens.

The Ministry said in a short statement obtained by Newsflash: "Famous chef Mehmet Yalcinkaya and our Mehmetcik [an affectionate term that refers to soldiers of the Turkish Army] cooked delicious meals in Hatay."

Mehmet Yalcinkaya is an award-winning chef who has worked in gastronomy kitchens all over Europe, including in France and Italy.

He is especially known for his role as a jury member on MasterChef Turkey, a Turkish adaptation of the UK's famous cooking show.

Turkey's disaster management agency (AFAD) has said 45,089 are dead and more than 108,068 injured.

More than 5,800 people have reportedly died in Syria. The total death toll for the two countries currently stands at around 51,000.

The 7.8 magnitude quake struck early on Monday, 6th February, devastating southern Turkey and northern Syria.

A second earthquake of 7.6 magnitude hit the same region again at 11:24 am local time on 6th February, causing even more damage.