Canada is ready to ship NATO humanitarian supplies to Turkey, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday, while operations in that country and Syria continue to find survivors of the massive earthquake , which claimed thousands of lives.
Updated February 18th
Mathieu Paquette The Canadian Press
Mr Trudeau also offered his condolences to Mr Erdogan and to the Turkish people mourning the earthquake that killed more than 40,000 people on February 6.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
According to the report presented by the prime minister’s office, Trudeau offered “Canada’s unwavering support for the reconstruction effort” in Turkey and assured that Canada “stands ready to ship humanitarian supplies from NATO to Turkey.”
“Prime Minister Trudeau has informed the President that the Canadian Armed Forces also stand ready to provide additional support to the Turkish authorities if needed,” the summary of the call said.
After the deadly earthquake, Canada sent $10 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to “meet the immediate and urgent needs of those affected by these devastating events.”
The federal government also announced its intention to match all donations by individuals to the Canadian Red Cross for Turkey and Syria from February 6-22, up to a maximum of 10 million.
TURKISH PRESIDENCY PHOTO VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Kahramanmaras on February 8, where he met with earthquake survivors.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Trudeau “indicated that further financial support from Canada and Canadians would follow previously announced funds”. President Erdogan thanked Mr. Trudeau for this gesture as well as for the help already announced.
On the ground, a couple and their son were pulled from the rubble beneath a collapsed apartment building in Antakya, capital of Turkey’s Hatay province. However, the child died a few hours later.
The three people were taken to hospitals after spending 296 hours buried under the Kanatli building in the center of the city, according to a local TV station. Footage showed medics attaching an IV to the man’s arm while he was lying on a stretcher.
Anadolu News Agency identified those rescued as Samir Muhammed Accar, 49, his wife Ragda, 40, and their 12-year-old son. The boy later died in hospital. The bodies of two other children were also found in the rubble, according to media reports quoting a member of a rescue team.
Hatay is one of the provinces in Turkey most affected by the earthquake. As of Friday night, the death toll in Turkey stood at 39,672, bringing the number of deaths recorded in both countries to 43,360.
With information from The Associated Press