Lebanon to send more humanitarian aid for quake victims in Türkiye

By Idiris Okuduci

BEIRUT (AA) – Lebanon will send a ton of humanitarian aid for the quake victims in southern Türkiye, the Turkish ambassador to Beirut said Thursday.

“Until now, we have had the opportunity to send half a ton of humanitarian aid to Adana (province). Today, we plan to deliver 1 ton of blankets, heaters, materials, and food in coordination with Turkish Airlines,” Ali Baris Ulusoy told Anadolu.

Lebanon has sent three search and rescue teams to Türkiye so far, Ulusoy added.

“Although Lebanon has been in a serious financial crisis since 2019, we observed that both the Lebanese government and people are trying to help wholeheartedly," he said, expressing gratitude to all those contributing to relief for quake victims.

Duygu Itani, the deputy coordinator of the Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) Beirut office, said students donated $4,000 in cash as well as blankets, clothes, heaters, and food.

Lebanese people sent aid under the leadership of the Turkish Embassy and with the support of Yunus Emre Institute (YEE), the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), and Turkish Airlines (THY).

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati dispatched a search and rescue team comprising 83 people to Türkiye on Feb. 6, right after the earthquake.

At least 38,044 people were killed by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country's disaster agency said early Friday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

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