Boy, 10, in Netherlands collects €2,000 for Turkish earthquake victims by recycling plastic bottles

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ten-year-old Ali Cem, who lives in the Netherlands, collected €2000 ($2119) by recycling plastic bottles for the victims of twin earthquakes in Türkiye.

"With the support of his older sister and friends, 10-year-old Ali Cem collected plastic bottles and donated a €2,000 deposit to help heal the wounds from the earthquake. From Zutphen, he gave us strength and hope," the Turkish Consulate General in Deventer said Wednesday on Twitter.

"He is young but has a big heart. Thank you, dear Cem," it added.

In a separate tweet, it said Turkish Ambassador to the Hague, Selcuk Unal, thanked Cem and his family and congratulated him for his exemplary commitment.

At least 43,556 people have been killed and more than 105,000 injured by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, according to officials.

The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude quakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa and Elazig.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in less than 10 hours.