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EARTHQUAKE IN TÜRKIYE AND SYRIA: MALTESER INTERNATIONAL SENDS EMERGENCY RELIEF TEAM

The earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale hit the border region between Syria and Türkiye

Following the severe earthquake in Türkiye and Syria at around 4 a.m., the Turkish government has appealed to the international community for help. Malteser International – the Order of Malta worldwide relief agency –  has sent an emergency relief team to the affected region.

Help is needed quickly
“Our colleagues in Gaziantep and Kilis tell us about the massive destruction caused by the quake there. Our emergency relief team has already been sent to the region. Our local partners are in urgent need of support, especially in the refugee areas in the north of Syria, where hundreds of thousands of people are living in simple shelters and are now defenceless after the earthquake. Temperatures in the region are currently freezing and it is raining extensively. In the hospitals of the partner organisations, the number of injured earthquake victims is increasing by the hour. So we have to provide help quickly,” says Oliver Hochedez, head of Malteser International’s emergency relief department.

The emergency team is coordinating first immediate measures and will then get urgently needed relief supplies on their way.

According to figures available so far, over 1,200 people have been killed in both countries, with thousands injured. Victim numbers are rising rapidly and the damage to residential buildings and infrastructure is massive.

Since 2012, Malteser International has been supporting health structures and water and sanitation in Syria through local partners, as well as providing care to Syrian refugees in Türkiye.

To donate directly to the Malteser International Earthquake Appeal:

https://www.malteser-international.org/en/donation

Photo-Credit: Malteser International