Urgent Call for International Solidarity with the Victims of the Earthquake in Turkey and Northern Syria On February 6, 2023, two earthquakes measuring 7.4-7.8 on the Richter scale occurred in Turkey, centered in the province of Kahramanmaras affecting an area within a radius of about 400 km. The earthquakes affected 10 surrounding provinces, particularly Antakya, Antep, Adıyaman, Adana, Diyarbakır, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Urfa, where about 13,5 million people live, including about 2 million Syrian refugees. The earthquake also hit the northern Syrian cities of Aleppo and Idlib. The number of victims is rising by the minute. More than 11.000 victims have been confirmed after 48 hours. An estimated 185 000 victims buried under the rubble. Rescue efforts have not arrived in the critical first 48 hours in most affected areas.Thousands of buildings collapsed, including hospitals, nursery homes, town halls, and other infrastructure. The death toll and injuries are rising with each passing hour, and rescue efforts have not yet arrived in broad swaths of the affected areas.  Heavy snowfall, heavy rains, and sub-zero temperatures make the situation even more critical for the injured and survivors. Villages and rural areas in particular lack rescue workers, medical supplies and food. There is currently a shortage of everything: rescue workers, medical supplies, electricity, water, food, clothing, tents, heaters, and much more. Through social media, victims ask for help to be pulled out of collapsed buildings; relatives search for missing family members; a great shock and despair spreads far outside the affected region.The epicenter of the earthquake is an area where predominantly persecuted communities such as Alevis, Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians and Kurds have been living. Due to the history of persecution and state violence, this region has been already suffering from inadequate infrastructure and economic disadvantage. The destruction and suffering caused by these earthquakes are of a magnitude that Turkey has not yet experienced and there is growing concern about the lack of adequate state-led assistance so far. Therefore, immediate international assistance for all victims in the region is of urgent importance.Please find below a list of organisations who provide immediate assistance to those in need. Alongside with the established organizations, the “Solidaritätsaktion für Erdbebenopfer in der Türkei/Syrien» is an initiative by Turkey community members in Basel with close and extensive connections to the affected region and therefore able to efficiently and directly transfer funds.

 

medico international schweiz
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