UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee launches appeal for Türkiye, Syria quake victims

LONDON (AA) – The UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is launching an appeal to help hundreds of thousands of people affected by the powerful earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria on Monday.

The DEC will bring together 15 major UK aid charities, including the British Red Cross, Oxfam, and ActionAid, to raise funds that will cover medical aid, emergency shelter, food, and clean water.

It said the British government will match the first £5 million ($6 million) of donations made by the public.

Appeals to raise funds are being launched on TV from Thursday.

Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, said there is an urgent need “to support families with medical aid, emergency shelter, food and clean water in freezing, snowy conditions.”

“We know that money is tight for many people here in the UK as the cost of living crisis continues but, if you can, please do donate to support people caught up in this deadly disaster,” he said.

The Scottish government has pledged £500,000 for quake relief efforts, while the DEC in Scotland has also launched an appeal.

“The scenes over the last few days from Turkiye and Syria are heart-wrenching. This earthquake has caused a huge amount of damage and significant loss of life that will be felt for some time to come,” First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in a statement.

“We will provide £500,000 in humanitarian aid to the DEC appeal to support those affected with medical care, shelter, food, and clean water,” she added.

More than 14,000 people have been killed and over 63,700 injured after two strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, have impacted some 13 million people across 10 Turkish provinces.

In neighboring Syria, the death toll has climbed to at least 3,150, with more than 5,200 people wounded.