Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/UNITED NATIONS: The UN World Food Programme initiated an emergency response Thursday after devastating earthquakes hit Syria and Türkiye.
Deputy spokesperson of UN Farhan Haq told reporters that the agency seeks $46 million to support immediate humanitarian needs. The funds will help 500,000 victims in Syria and Türkiye for the next three to four months. He noted that the UN was working on an appeal for Türkiye and Syria.
”It’s not ready yet but we’ll be able to announce something in the coming days as we accumulate more information about the need. But the first task is to identify the needs’ scale precisely,” he said.
UN aid agency, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, also announced $25 million in humanitarian aid Tuesday for Türkiye and Syria.
According to the Turkish president, the death toll in Türkiye from Monday’s Kahramanmaras-centered massive earthquakes has risen to 9,057, with 52,000 injured.
Other provinces in southern Türkiye that were severely affected by the tremors are Hatay, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir, and Kilis.
UN Health Agency to Send a High-Level Delegation to Türkiye Following Quakes
The World Health Organization said Wednesday it would send special flights, expert teams, and medical supplies to Syria and Türkiye following devastating earthquakes.
Director-General Tedros WHO, Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said at a news conference in Geneva, “The WHO will send a high-level delegation to coordinate its response as well as three flights with medical supplies. One flight is on the way to Istanbul, carrying medical supplies and surgical trauma kits from our logistics hub in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.”
He added that another flight to Damascus is almost ready for departure, and a third is being planned. He said victims of the two devastating earthquakes need shelter, food, clean water, and medical care. The global body has given $3 million from its contingency fund for emergencies to support Turkey and Syria.
