Turkey-Syria earthquake: Aid begins to arrive from international community
- Published
Specialised teams from different countries including Italy, the US and Israel are on the way to help. Aid has started to arrive with food, medicine and shelter supplies from around the world. Germany sent their team of rescuers, including doctors and rescue experts, to help find survivors of the quake. Rescue workers are facing challenges, such as the freezing cold conditions which make things more difficult.
Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a three-month state of emergency in the areas worst affected by the earthquake. The president said the state of emergency is to make sure rescue work can be "carried out quickly". In this photo you can see people receiving free meals after the earthquake in the southeast of Turkey.
The UK government is sending a team of 76 search and rescue experts to Turkey to help survivors. These members of the London Fire Brigade and a sniffer dog will be part of the team. Foreign secretary James Cleverly said the impact of the quakes was "on a scale that we have not seen for quite some time". The UK also says it will look at working with the United Nations to help those in Syria.
Across the UK, people have started to gather donations such as clothes, blankets, food and nappies. This is at the Aziziye Mosque in Stoke Newington, London. The British Turkish Association is also taking donations, particularly winter clothes because it's currently very cold in Turkey. Many of the items collected will be shipped to Turkey on a cargo flight.
A collection has started at this caf茅 in Bournemouth. Local people have been asked to donate clothes, food, blankets for people of all ages. Elsewhere in Dorset, Sherborne Abbey Primary School will have a non-uniform day on Friday and ask pupils to donate 50p with the money going to the Red Cross, to help those affected by the earthquake.
David Wightwick from UK-Med has taken a flight to Turkey where he'll lead the UK's medical response team there. He says the initial crew of six people includes surgeons, paramedics, emergency medical staff and logistics staff. More NHS staff will likely join them, but he says it's important for them to arrive first and see how they can best help.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that as many as 23 million Turkish and Syrian people will be affected by these quakes. This includes over a million children.
International aid is being sent to the affected areas from South Korea - shown in this picture - to China, Russia, Pakistan Japan, India, Iran and many others. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has thanked countries who have sent and offered help.
Nearly 100 Los Angeles County firefighters are preparing to travel to help in Turkey. US President Joe Biden said his teams were sending people quickly to begin supporting the search and rescue.
- Published7 February 2023
- Published6 February 2023
- Published15 February 2023
