Watch: Besiktas fans throw soft toys on to the pitch for children affected by earthquakes in Turkey

A few minutes after the start of the match, fans littered the field with toys that will be donated to children in areas affected by the devastating earthquake.

Fans throw toys onto the pitch during the Turkish Super League soccer match between Besiktas and Antalyaspor at the Vodafone stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. During the match, supporters threw a massive number of soft toys to be donated to children affected by the powerful earthquake on Feb. 6 on southeast Turkey. (AP Photo)

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Heartwarming visuals have emerged from Turkish football club Besiktas’ game against Antalyaspor in the 22nd round of the Turkish league on Sunday. The match between Besiktas and Antalyaspor ended in a draw 0-0.

The game continued after the devastating earthquake and it was marked by local fans when a few minutes after the start of the match, fans littered the field with toys that will be donated to children in areas affected by the devastating earthquake.

As the clock strikes 04:17 (the time of the earthquake), Beşiktaş fans throw thousands of soft toys onto the pitch to be sent to kids in the affected areas.

Again, proud that this is my club. I love this club.pic.twitter.com/mAJiykrMKr

— Can Okar (@canokar) February 26, 2023

The fans were waiting for the right second for the wonderful gesture, namely, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale hit Turkey on February 6 at 4 hours and 17 minutes.

The number of victims in the earthquake in Turkey reached 43,000, and among the deceased was football player Christian Atsu who played for Hatayspor.

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Besiktas is a Turkish sports club founded in 1903 that is based in the Besiktas district of Istanbul. The club’s football team is one of the Big Three in Turkey and one of the most successful teams in the country, having never been relegated to a lower division.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria that struck on February 6 surpassed 50,000 on Friday after Turkey declared more than 44,000 people died. With Syria’s latest announced death toll of 5,914, the combined death toll in the two countries rose to above 50,000.