A devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7,8 struck southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria during the night.
The earthquake, also felt in Lebanon – a country where we have been operating since 2001 – had its epicentre in the city of Gaziantep, about 90 kilometres from the Syrian border. The number of dead and wounded continues to rise dramatically and, according to estimates by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the death toll could reach 10,000.
Thousands also remain trapped under the rubble. Many were injured, in both countries. We at CESVI, which has always been on the front line in all humanitarian emergencies, are preparing to bring concrete aid to the civilian population in the upcoming hours with our Alliance2015 partners present on the field.
From the news reaching us from the ground and the media, we can confirm that we are facing one of the biggest humanitarian disasters in recent years.
‘We are facing the biggest earthquake we have seen in 24 years in this region. There have been 100 aftershocks so far. Some 53 of them have exceeded 4 degrees (on the Richter scale). Seven of them had a magnitude above 5 degrees. We can say that these earthquakes will continue in the coming days.’ This was stated by the director of the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, as reported by the BBC in Turkish.
In the current cold winter, there is an urgent need to organise shelter for people whose homes have been destroyed, to bring emergency supplies, care and support.
Support with us the children, women and families affected by one of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes of the most recent years. Donate now and support our emergency response. Your help is urgent and vital.
Stay by our side. Thank you for what you can do.
*Alliance2015 is a strategic and operational network of 7 international NGOs based in Europe, which envisions a world without poverty, hunger and fear of oppression. We envision resilient and empowered people and societies. We believe in the power of collaboration and, in this spirit, we support and strengthen the capacity of our members in the field to contribute to adequate and effective humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable populations.