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UN sends expert delegation, launches emergency response for Türkiye

Published

1 year ago

February 8, 2023

The United Nations’ health body will send teams of experts and medical supplies to Türkiye and Syria following the disastrous earthquakes that killed over 12,000 people and injured tens of thousands of others in both countries.

“The WHO will send a high-level delegation to coordinate its response as well as three flights with medical supplies,” World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference in Geneva.”One flight is currently on the way to Istanbul, carrying medical supplies and surgical trauma kits from our logistics hub in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.”

Another flight to Damascus is almost ready for departure and a third is being planned, he added.

He said victims of the two powerful earthquakes need shelter, food, clean water and medical care, as well as other health needs.

The global body released $3 million from a contingency fund for emergencies to support both countries.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday at least 9,057 people were killed and 52,979 injured after the earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday.

Erdoğan said 6,444 buildings were destroyed in a visit to the quake-hit region to inspect rescue and relief efforts.

The 7.7- and 7.6- magnitude quakes, centered in the Kahramanmaraş province, struck 10 provinces and affected more than 13 million people.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, felt the tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.

UN food agency launches emergency response

The U.N. World Food Program launched an emergency response Wednesday after devastating earthquakes.

The agency is seeking $46 million to support immediate humanitarian needs.

The funds will be used to help 500,000 victims in Türkiye and Syria for the next three to four months, U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

He said the U.N. was working on an appeal for Türkiye and Syria.

”It’s not ready yet but hopefully, we’ll be able to announce something in the coming days as we accumulate more information about the needs. But the first task, of course, is to identify precisely what the scale of the needs are,” he said.

U.N. aid agency, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, also announced $25 million in humanitarian aid Tuesday for Türkiye and Syria.

The death toll in Türkiye from Monday’s Kahramanmaraş-centered massive earthquakes has risen to 9,057, according to the Turkish president with more than 52,000 injured.

Other provinces in southern Türkiye that were affected by the tremors are Gaziantep, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Malatya, Şanlıurfa, Adana, Diyarbakır and Kilis.