Un food agency launches emergency response for quake-hit Türkiye, Syria; asks for $46 million

By Betul Yuruk

UNITED NATIONS (AA) - The UN World Food Program launched an emergency response Wednesday after devastating earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria.

The agency is seeking $46 million to support immediate humanitarian needs.

The funds will be used to help 500,000 victims in Türkiye and Syria for the next three to four months, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

He said the UN was working on an appeal for Türkiye and Syria.

''It's not ready yet but hopefully, we'll be able to announce something in the coming days as we accumulate more information about the needs. But the first task, of course, is to identify precisely what the scale of the needs are,'' he said.

UN aid agency, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, also announced $25 million in humanitarian aid Tuesday for Türkiye and Syria.

The death toll in Türkiye from Monday's Kahramanmaras-centered massive earthquakes has risen to 9,057, according to the Turkish president with more than 52,000 injured.

Other provinces in southern Türkiye that were affected by the tremors are Gaziantep, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis.