UN announces $25 million in humanitarian aid for Türkiye and Syria after deadly earthquakes

UNITED NATIONS (AA) - The UN announced $25 million in humanitarian aid Tuesday for Türkiye and Syria following deadly earthquakes that has claimed more than 6,000 lives

It will help provide urgent lifesaving assistance to the region, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at UN headquarters.

''The UN disaster assessment and coordination teams are in Adana today and mobilizing to Gaziantep tomorrow to support Türkiye's urban search and rescue teams,'' he said. ''Those caught up in the disaster include many thousands of refugees from Syria and the communities that have generously hosted them for nearly 12 years.''

He said Syrian refugees make up more than 1.7 million of the 15 million people living in the 10 provinces affected by the quakes in Türkiye.

''We will do whatever the government of Turkey wants us to do and try to be as helpful as possible,'' said Dujarric.

He also said the road to northwest Syria from Türkiye has been damaged and that has temporarily disrupted humanitarian assistance into quake-hit rebel-held areas.

The death toll in Türkiye from Monday's Kahramanmaras-centered massive earthquakes has risen to 5,434, according to the national disaster agency, with more than 31,000 injured.

The other provinces affected by the tremors are Gaziantep, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis.

The quakes were also felt in neighboring Syria, inflicting widespread damage.