In the early hours of 6 February 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria. This was followed by another earthquake soon afterwards and there have been thousands of aftershocks since. On 20 February, a new and powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey.
This is the world’s worst earthquake in a decade and the worst earthquake in Turkiye in nearly 100 years. The scale of death and devastation is unimaginable and will only continue to rise. Some places have become mass graveyards.
Many survivors are now homeless, forced to sleep in their cars or outside in the bitter winter cold.
Southern Türkiye (Turkey) has been heavily affected, especially areas around Gaziantep and Hatay/Antakya. These are major hubs for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) supporting Syria through a cross-border humanitarian operation.
The earthquake also hit areas in north-west Syria, including Aleppo. For people in Syria, this is a crisis on top of a crisis as the region continues to be heavily affected by conflict and 6.7 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
Our teams in Turkiye and Syria are working around the clock to support those in need. There is no time to waste.
They are experienced, having responded to the 1999 earthquake, but are now facing newhurdles in getting aid to those who need it, including destroyed roads and an unprecedented scale of devastation.
The affected area is huge - approximately 1.5 times the size of the Republic of Ireland and 7 times the size of Northern Ireland.
Together with our partners in Turkiye (Turkey) and Syria, we are working to reach nearly 2 million people – 10 percent of the population affected by the quake – with essential aid and support so that they can rebuild their lives.
Please donate today.
