Status: 03/20/2023 15:00
More than a month after the earthquake disaster, basic necessities are still lacking in Turkey and Syria. At a donors’ conference, the EU is campaigning for more support. Germany now wants to double its aid – to 240 million euros.
Germany is doubling its aid to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. A total of €240 million is now being mobilized. The announcement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, at an international donors’ conference in Brussels.
Those still living in tents and in need of medical care should continue to receive intensive support from Europe, said the green politician.
EU Commission pledges billions in aid to Turkey
At the donors’ conference, the European Commission promised Turkey one billion euros for the reconstruction of the country. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced another package worth €108 million for humanitarian aid and initial reconstruction in Syria.
“We have to maintain our support and help survivors not only to survive but to rebuild their lives,” said von der Leyen. She stressed that homes, schools and hospitals must be rebuilt to the highest earthquake-proof standards.
Millions of people live in tents
On February 6, two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and a little later than 7.6 hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. In Turkey alone, the official death toll has risen to more than 50,000, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the conference. Material damage amounts to about 104 billion dollars, almost 300,000 buildings were seriously damaged.
According to the government, 3.7 million people have been evacuated from the region since the disaster in Turkey, and nearly two million people are currently living in tents.
Last week, at least 18 people were also killed by floods in the region also affected by the earthquake. In some places heavy rain continues. People in the area continue to come forward and ask for help as supplies are running low.
Little information about the situation in Syria
The United Nations assumes that around 8.8 million people will be affected in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, around 6,800 people died in the aftershocks in Syria. The total death toll from the earthquake is therefore almost 57,000.
There is only scant information about the country’s situation in civil war. In the face of years of bombing and fighting, many people there were already living in precarious conditions before the tremors. The EU provides support in government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas.
Von der Leyen and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson invited to the international donors’ conference in Brussels to collect donations for disaster relief and reconstruction measures. Sweden currently holds the presidency of EU states.
Katharina Willinger, ARD Istanbul, at the International Donor Conference for Those Affected in the Area of the Turkish-Syrian Earthquake
tagesschau24 10:00 am, 20.3.2023