Bangladeshis out in force to support Türkiye quake victims

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – People in Bangladesh have been donating generously to help earthquake victims in Türkiye.

A collection drive for in-kind donations is being organized at the office of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in the capital Dhaka until Feb. 20.

Thousands of Bangladeshis have so far provided tons of relief supplies, including warm winter clothing.

“We have been flooded with support from the people of the friendly nation of Bangladesh,” Sevki Mert Baris, coordinator of the TIKA office in Dhaka, told Anadolu.

The TIKA office was teeming with packages, mostly with warm winter clothes for people in the affected regions, where temperatures are near freezing.

“I was shocked to see the devastation in videos on social media. I, and others like me, are trying to help as much as we can,” Sabah, a doctor from the southern port city of Chattogram, told Anadolu.

Hamdan Abdullah, a young businessman, echoed the same sentiments.

“Türkiye is one of Bangladesh’s most trusted friends. We have to stand by our brothers and sisters in Türkiye, who have always supported us in our time of need,” he said.

According to TIKA, the relief goods will be flown out on a daily basis on Turkish Airlines flights.

Baris, the agency’s coordinator, said officials will later decide whether to extend the collection drive beyond Feb. 20.​​​​​​​

More than 19,300 people have died and over 77,700 others were injured after two strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, have impacted some 13 million people across 10 Turkish provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.