Mauritanian NGOs raise $60,000 in aid for quake victims in Türkiye, Syria

By Mohamed El Bekay

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AA) – A donation campaign in Mauritania has collected $60,000 for the victims of last month’s deadly earthquakes that killed thousands in Türkiye and Syria.

The campaign "reflects the strength of brotherhood, solidarity and interdependence among Islamic peoples,” said a joint statement by the Association of Mauritanian Community in Türkiye, the Chinguetti Lighthouse International Association, and Türkiye Alumni Association.

The statement said the donations will be delivered to the quake victims in Türkiye and northern Syria.

Following the quake disaster, Mauritania sent a plane loaded with humanitarian aid to Türkiye upon orders from President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani.

More than 45,000 people died in Türkiye in the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes on Feb. 6. The earthquakes, which were centered in the province of Kahramanmaras, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Hatay, Adana, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Adiyaman, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.

The quakes also caused widespread devastation in parts of northwestern Syria, where the death toll has climbed to at least 6,000.

* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report