Colombia rallies to help Türkiye in aftermath of deadly earthquakes

Colombia rallies to help Türkiye in aftermath of deadly earthquakes

Bogota mobilizing to send winter clothing after quakes kill nearly 25,000, injured more than 80,000

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Jenny Rodriguez arrived at the Turkish Embassy in Bogota with 10 bags of clothes and other items to donate to victims in Türkiye left homeless by two deadly earthquakes.

The bags contained jackets, shoes, pants, blouses, shirts, hygiene products, children's clothes and blankets "to help those in the hardest-hit areas keep warm in the sub-zero temperatures," Rodriguez told Anadolu. “These are all things that we collected from friends and family members in a couple of days.”

Like Rodriguez, hundreds of Colombians and members of the Turkish-Colombian community have mobilized to bring tons of donations to those who are suffering the devastating effects of what has been called one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Türkiye.

The support has been so overwhelming, said Türkiye's Ambassador to Colombia, Beste Pehlivan Sun, that the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, in charge of receiving donations, has been overflowing.

“We decided to move the operation to the embassy as of today and in a couple of hours our capacity was almost full with all the donations we have been receiving,” she said. “From young children to senior citizens, everyone has been coming here after the disaster took place, bringing their donations and sharing their sentiments with us. It is really moving and touching to be part of this.”

Colombians arriving at the embassy with donations found candles and flower arrangements at the entrance and the Turkish flag at half-staff where it will remain until late Sunday to commemorate the more than 24,000 left dead and over 80,000 injured by the tragedy.

The government has expressed its solidarity with the people of Türkiye and conveyed condolences for the loss of life and damage after the quakes.

Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva signed a book of condolences Thursday during a visit to the Turkish Embassy.

He said he was saddened by the disaster and said the government will make resources available to contribute to relief efforts.




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