Fans of the Turkish football club Besiktas showered thousands of plush toys on the pitch during a match against Fraport TAV Antalyaspor in a gesture of support to the children affected by the devastating earthquake.

Sunday's match between Besiktas and Antalyaspor at Istanbul's Vodafone Park was paused at 4 minutes 17 seconds after the kick-off in memory of the earthquake which struck Turkey's Southern region three weeks ago, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported.

Fans shower football field with toys for quake-hit children in Turkiye
Fans shower football field with toys for quake-hit children in TurkiyeIANS

Fans threw thousands of plush toys and scarves. Players and staff rushed onto the pitch to collect them.

The toys will be sent to children affected by a strong 7.7 earthquake, which hit Turkey, centred in the Pazarcik district, on February 6.

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 8, 2023 shows rescuers searching for survivors among the rubble of buildings destroyed in quake-hit Besni District of Adiyaman Province, Turkey.
This aerial photo taken on Feb. 8, 2023 shows rescuers searching for survivors among the rubble of buildings destroyed in quake-hit Besni District of Adiyaman Province, Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during his visit to the worst-hit region on Wednesday that a total of 8,574 people in the country have died from the massive earthquakes. Earlier, the country's disaster management agency said more than 40,000 people have been injuredIANS

At least 44,374 people died in two strong earthquakes that shook southern Turkey on February 6, said a report.

(With inputs from IANS)

Also Read