A quiet day turned upside down as the region grapples with the devastating earthquakes that ripped through Turkey and parts of Syria early yesterday. Turkey lies in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. The quake is reportedly one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, powerful enough to be felt as far away as Cyprus and Lebanon. Iraq and Jordan also reported tremors.
Nearly 3,000 people have been confirmed dead, and more than 13,000 injured after the two strong earthquakes hit both countries within 12 hours of each other. With the death toll sadly expected to rise, search and rescue operations have been going on across the region as many buildings have collapsed, and many people remain trapped in the rubble.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that 130 aftershocks were registered, adding 15 thousand rescuers and about five thousand vehicles have been deployed in the affected area.
Qatar has joined international efforts to find potential survivors trapped under the rubble and provide aid to survivors, especially with supplies in the cold winter weather. The Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday held a telephone conversation with the President of Turkiye H E Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In a tweet yesterday, Amir also affirmed Qatar’s support to the Turkish people and expressed his condolences, promising all support needed to mitigate the effects of the earthquake.
Qatar also sent aircraft with relief materials to support the country in dealing with the effects of the unfortunate disaster. The first flights of the air bridge are accompanied by a team from the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) equipped with specialized mechanisms for search and rescue operations and a field hospital, relief aid, tents and winter supplies.
Meanwhile, the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has launched urgent relief for those affected by the earthquake. In a statement, QRCS said it had allocated 4,800 food parcels from its representation mission’s stock in Turkey to be urgently distributed to the affected families in northern Syria. QRCS is also working on a large-scale emergency relief campaign, focusing on the most pressing needs at this point, especially food and nonfood items.
Other countries have also pledged support to Turkiye – President Erdogan announced around 45 countries have offered help, including the United Nations and the European Union.
