A week after deadly earthquakes, Arab support for quake victims in Türkiye, Syria continues

By Ibrahim El-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) – A week after the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria, the Arab world continued providing vital support to quake victims with official visits, donation campaigns, rescue teams, and relief supplies.

At least 31,643 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country's disaster agency said on Monday.

Magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

In neighboring Syria, the death toll has climbed above 3,500, with more than 5,200 people wounded.

— Saudi Arabia

More than 123,406 people have donated in a collection drive in Saudi Arabia, generating more than 311 million riyals ($83 million) for quake victims, according to data from the Saudi government’s Sahem Platform.

On Sunday, the seventh Saudi relief plane left King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh, carrying various medical equipment worth more than 36 million Saudi riyals ($9.5 million), according to the Saudi Press Agency.

— Qatar

Qatar’s emir expressed solidarity with Türkiye and Syria on Sunday after deadly earthquakes jolted the countries last week.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who arrived in Türkiye on a working visit, said on Twitter: “We affirm our support and solidarity with the brothers, and to contribute to the efforts made to mitigate this disaster.”

The Qatari emir is the first leader to visit Türkiye after the deadly earthquakes.

Turkish Airlines announced that on Sunday it had transported 46 tons of Qatari humanitarian aid to Adana to be distributed to the earthquake victims in southern Türkiye.

The Qatar Fund for Development on Sunday announced supporting the ongoing operations of the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) in order to rescue the earthquake victims in Syria.

— UAE

The United Arab Emirates foreign minister paid a visit to quake-hit areas in Türkiye's Kahramanmaras province on Sunday.

The UAE-based daily Al-Ittihad covered Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan's visit to the area, making him the third foreign minister to visit the region since last Monday’s quakes.

Pledging to provide necessary support and aid to Türkiye in the wake of the temblors, Al Nahyan also expressed his "sincere" condolences and sympathy to those affected by the earthquakes.

Al Nahyan also met with Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, according to the Emirates news agency.

The Bridges of Good campaign in the UAE also announced the collection of more than 30,000 food parcels and large quantities of winter clothes, blankets, and humanitarian needs, for the benefit of those affected by the earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye, according to the same source.

— Jordan

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry on Sunday announced that two military planes will fly to the Turkish Adana Airport, carrying 480 family tents out of 10,000, to help those affected by the earthquakes.

Over the past few days, Jordan has sent a number of aid planes to Türkiye, and a fully equipped field military hospital to Kahramanmaras.

— Mauritania

Under the directives of President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, a Mauritanian aid plane on Sunday flew to Türkiye to contribute to the relief for earthquake victims, according to the Mauritanian News Agency.

— Yemen

After a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh, the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council expressed, in a statement, its great solidarity with Türkiye and Syria following the earthquakes.

— Sudan

The vice-president of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, announced on Sunday that his country will provide shelter materials for those affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye, and they will be transported by air from Khartoum.

Since the earthquake occurred, 16 Arab countries have officially announced the establishment of air bridges and the provision of urgent relief and medical aid to support Türkiye – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Jordan, Bahrain, Libya, Tunisia, Palestine, Iraq, Mauritania, Sudan, and the Sultanate of Oman.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report