Emergency services, volunteers and members of the public in Turkey and Syria continue desperately searching through rubble for survivors after two powerful earthquakes hit the region on Monday.
The death toll from the disaster has already soared above 16,000, although officials fear this could rise to around 20,000 after houses, apartment blocks and offices were completely flattened by the quakes and subsequent tremors.
Amid the horror, despair and grief there are occasional moments of hope and joy, including a newborn baby girl rescued from under a collapsed building with her umbilical cord still attached.
But amid the freezing cold winter conditions, rescuers are warning that time to recover the remaining survivors is running out, with fears that hundreds of people could still be trapped under the debris.
The UK government has already sent a team of search and rescue experts to help the authorities in Turkey.
Here’s how you can help
Thousands of people have been left homeless by the quake and will struggle to access shelter, water and food. They require emergency aid, particularly in war-torn Syria, which is already in the grip of a humanitarian crisis due to more than a decade of war.
On Wednesday afternoon the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) announced it had launched a campaign. The DEC is an umbrella group of UK charities that coordinates and launches collective of appeals to raise funds to provide emergency aid and rapid relief to people caught up in disasters and humanitarian crises around the world.
“DEC charities and their local partners are among the first responders, working with locally-led relief efforts. Immediate priorities are medical treatment for the injured, shelter for those who have lost their homes, as well as blankets, warm clothes and heaters for safe spaces,” it said in a statement.
“ They are also ensuring people have enough food and clean water.” You can donate to the DEC campaign here.
The British Red Cross has launched appeals for both Turkey and Syria. Those who are able to are being asked to donate via the Red Cross website. Alternatively, you can donate by calling 0300 004 0339 or by downloading a postal form here.
The humanitarian organisation is working with partners in the region to provide emergency aid to those most in need.
“The Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) has launched a crisis response operation and mobilised teams in more than 10 regions across the country, while the Syrian Arab Red Crescent is delivering assistance and support to those in need in the regions of Hama, Aleppo and Lattakia,” it said in a statement.
“Together, we’re providing emergency first aid and evacuating people to safety.”
Actionaid has also launched a campaign calling for donations.
Money donated to the charity will be used to provide “ food, medical aid, warm clothing, heaters and cash for those who have lost their homes and are out on the streets.” You can donate to Actionaid’s campaign by following this link.
Oxfam is also calling for donations.
“Our teams in Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria are working with partner organisations to assess the types of immediate and longer-term support that are needed to help people in the aftermath of Monday’s devastating earthquakes,” the charity said in a statement.
“The emergency response is expected to include water and sanitation, shelter and food support as well as longer-term rehabilitation and reconstruction.”
You can donate here.
Save the Children is also working with partners across northwest Syria and Turkey.
“Together, we’re assessing what children and their families need, so we can deliver emergency relief,” the charity said in a statement.
“But we urgently need your help.
“You can help us get families the food, warm blankets, winter clothes and shelter materials they need to survive.
“You can help us set up safe spaces for women and children, and get psychological support to children so they can start to process their terrible experiences.”
You can donate here.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is also working in northwest Syria and Turkey to provide life-saving medical care.
“In the first hours of the disaster, our teams treated around 200 wounded and we received 160 casualties in the facilities and the clinics that we run or support in northern Idlib,” says Sebastien Gay, MSF head of mission in Syria. “Our ambulances are also deployed to assist people.”
You can donate to MSF here.
Unicef said in a statement it is “preparing to support the humanitarian response in coordination with partners.
“The immediate focus is on ensuring affected children and families have access to safe drinking water and sanitation services – critical in preventing illness in the early days of a crisis,” it said.
You can donate here.
