Following the deadly earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria, many countries including the UAE, Saudi, and Qatar announced donations to assist the victims.
The UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ordered the provision of $100 million for the relief of those affected by Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
The UAE Joint Operations Command of the Ministry of Defense announced the arrival of two aircraft carrying humanitarian aid from the UAE at the Damascus Airport as part of the airlift launched to stand by the victims.
A total of 12 tons of essential supplies and several tents to lodge 216 displaced people are part of the initial aid package that falls within the ‘Gallant Knight / 2’ operation on its first day, state news agency WAM reported Wednesday.
Saudi’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) also launched its official aid program to provide on-the-ground support and aid people, Supervisor General Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah announced on Wednesday.
Similarly, Qatar announced that it would donate 10,000 mobile houses to both nations.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ordered the launch of an airlift to help quake victims in Türkiye.
State news agency QNA said a rescue team, a field hospital, relief aid, tents, and winter supplies will also be dispatched to the country.
Death toll
The death toll from the massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria surpassed on Wednesday 11,200 as rescuers raced through the snow to save survivors trapped beneath debris.
According to officials and medics, 8,574 people died in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria as a result of the quake, bringing the total to 11,236.
Read more: Deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake hits southeast Turkey
As the scope of the disaster became clearer, the death toll appeared to be on the rise. According to one UN official, thousands of children may have died.
The number of people killed in Turkey and Syria is expected to keep rising.
The World Health Organization has suggested the final toll could rise as high as 20,000. A similar-sized earthquake in the region in 1999 killed at least 17,000 people.
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