OUR APPEALS
Syria/Türkiye Earthquake Emergency
With over 40 million people affected, tens of thousands injured and tragically, over 50,000 deaths recorded: the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye have had catastrophic consequences for the neighbouring countries.
The first 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Turkish city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border on 6 February 2023, was followed by 7.5 earthquake shortly after, and another 6.4 earthquake two weeks later. More than 7,800 aftershocks have been recorded since the initial quake.
These are the worst earthquakes to hit Türkiye in decades, and the worst to hit Syria in more than 100 years.
The impact has been almost unimaginable
City blocks have been almost entirely wiped out, the cities of Hatay and Gaziantep in Türkiye are now barely recognisable. With over 85,000 buildings destroyed, rescuers were still pulling bodies out of rubble weeks later. Ongoing water and gas cuts make it hard for people to keep warm as temperatures drop below zero during the night. People sheltering in cars and open spaces are at risk from hypothermia.
Across the border in Syria, the situation is bleaker still. This is a tragedy on top of a long-running catastrophe for Syria after so many years of violence and crisis. Reception centres for homeless families are severely overcrowded. Demand for tents has outstripped the available supply, forcing several families to crowd into one tent. Freezing winter temperatures – dropping to minus 5 degrees Celsius at night – mean many people are getting sick.
Water supplies have been damaged or contaminated, leading to growing fears of outbreaks of water-borne diseases in a country already grappling with a cholera epidemic.
A lifeline in times of disaster
Islamic Relief staff in Türkiye and Syria have been working tirelessly to provide support, despite many also having been personally affected by the earthquakes.
Islamic Relief supporters have given generously to help support our £20 million emergency appeal and we have so far managed to reach over 660,000 people with our aid.
As the disaster continues to unfold, affected families need help more than ever and Islamic Relief urgently need your support to meet the immediate and long-term needs in of those in need.
