In the wake of the February 6th 7.8-magnitude earthquake that devastated large areas of Turkey and Syria many countries, including those in the MENA region, are rushing aid to the area.
According to Akmal Dawi reporting for the Voice of America, as of Thursday, the number of people killed by the 7.8-magnitude quake stood at about 42,000 — over 36,000 in Turkey and some 5,800 in Syria — which makes it the fifth deadliest earthquake in the last 25 years. The disaster has also caused at least $25 billion in economic damage in Turkey alone according to JP Morgan Chase.
The U.N. has launched a $397 million appeal to help quake victims in Syria earlier this week. The United States has pledged $85 million in an initial response.
Within the region, Saudi Arabia recently completed its eleventh relief plane delivery with with food, medicine and shelter supplies to Turkey’s Gaziantep Airport. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) is organizing aid efforts for Saudi Arabia.
An online donation campaign launched by Saudi Arabia raised more than $100 million from over 1.6 million individuals and companies in just over a week.
The United Arab Emirates announced $100 million in humanitarian assistance and Qatar has announced it will deliver 10,000 portable cabins and trailers that the oil-rich kingdom used during the 2022 World Cup in Doha, on top of food and medical aid.
Iran also has sent aid supplies to Turkey and Syria. Aljazeera provided a review of relief efforts by countries around the world.
