Seychelles donates relief items to Türkiye's earthquake victims

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – The Turkish Embassy in Nairobi has received a donation of 66 tons of relief products from the people of Seychelles to help the victims of the recent earthquakes that rocked southern Türkiye.

The relief items received by the embassy include blankets, winter gear, and mattresses, which will be distributed to those affected by the disaster.

The Turkish Embassy in Nairobi accredited to Seychelles has expressed gratitude for the generosity of the Seychellois people.

Seychelles is an East African archipelago nation consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean.

“We are thankful to the friendly Seychellois people who have donated 66 tons of blankets, winter gear and mattresses to contribute to the earthquake relief efforts in Türkiye,” the embassy said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday.

In addition to the designated donation collection sites set up by the Kenyan government for Kenyans to donate much-needed aid products, Türkiye’s Embassy in Nairobi is also accepting donations from the local community. The embassy, located along Gigiri road in the capital city, has urged Kenyans to contribute to the relief effort.

The embassy said tents, gas heaters, sleeping bags, trousers, scarves, beanies, socks, baby food, and electric generators, among other supplies, are needed to help victims cope with the harsh winter conditions.

The embassy also launched donation accounts in Kenya shillings and US dollars on Thursday to help with monetary aid collection.

At least 36,187 people were killed by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country's disaster agency said on Thursday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, 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 the space of less than 10 hours.