Saudis donate over $66 million for quake victims in Türkiye, Syria

By Ibrahim El-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) – More than 700,000 people participated in a donation campaign in Saudi Arabia that has so far collected over 250 million riyals ($66.6 million) for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria.

The campaign saw the participation of 709,775 people, according to data released by the Saudi government’s Sahem Platform, which is responsible for the popular campaign for relief of the quake victims in the two countries.

The donation campaign was launched on Wednesday by the King Salman Relief Center, a day after King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed the center to operate an air bridge and organize a popular campaign through the Sahem Platform, to support Türkiye and Syria in the wake of the earthquakes.

The frequent update of the campaign platform shows a remarkable increase in the number of participants and the value of donations since its launch.

Sixteen Arab countries officially announced the launch of air bridges and the provision of urgent relief and medical aid to support Türkiye, according to official statements.

The countries are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Jordan, Bahrain, Libya, Tunisia, Palestine, Iraq, Mauritania, Sudan, and Oman.

At least 21,848 people were killed and more than 80,088 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to the latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces in Türkiye, and also affected several countries in the region.

In Syria, government and rescue officials reported that nearly 3,553 people were killed and more than 5,270 others wounded in the quakes.