Islamic Relief has further stepped up its response to the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria as the death toll continues to climb.
Our teams have been on the ground delivering emergency food, shelter and medical supplies since a few hours after the magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes hit cities near the Türkiye-Syria border. Now we are also clearing rubble from key roads to ensure more aid gets to those in need, improving water supplies, and supporting dedicated outreach teams for women and children.
We have raised £9 million towards our £20 million global appeal, and so far our teams have provided aid to help more than 439,000 affected people.
But much more is needed.
More than 40 million people are affected by the disaster. More than 41,000 people have now been
confirmed dead and tens of thousands are wounded. Thousands of buildings have been destroyed.
The earthquakes come amid biting winter temperatures, leaving those made homeless by the disaster vulnerable to hypothermia. In northern Syria, the shelters for homeless families are severely overcrowded, with two or three families sharing a single small tent – as there are not enough tents to go around. There are growing fears of outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, as water supplies have been damaged or contaminated.
Many of the people affected – in both Türkiye and Syria – have already suffered from years of violent crisis inside Syria, which has displaced millions of people, destroyed infrastructure and pushed most people into poverty. Now the earthquake has struck to make this crisis even worse.
Getting aid to people who need it most
As one of the few international relief agencies already on the ground in both southern Türkiye and northwest Syria, Islamic Relief was quick to respond to those in need.
In Türkiye we’ve distributed food packs and blankets to survivors. As shops and markets reopen, we are now providing people with vouchers so they can buy whatever food or other items they need most.
In Syria, we immediately delivered medical supplies to hospitals and clinics overwhelmed by the number of casualties, and provided mattresses, blankets, tents and plastic sheets to reception centres hosting people who have lost their homes. We are now supporting 17 reception centres with other vital supplies to feed survivors and keep them warm.
Our specialist outreach team is providing dignity kits for women and girls, and nutritious milk and nappies/diapers for infants.
We are clearing rubble as blocked roads continue to hamper the aid response and people have lost their lives as ambulances have been unable to access some areas. And we are providing water tanks and chlorinating water supplies in villages, so that people have a safe source of water to drink.
Working tirelessly for those in need
Islamic Relief staff in Türkiye and Syria have been working tirelessly to provide support, despite many also having been personally affected by the earthquakes.
Mohammed Hamza, head of Islamic Relief’s office in Idlib, northwest Syria, is among those who witnessed the destruction first-hand:
“It was 4am and I woke up to the house shaking from side to side. Everything was shaking, bricks were falling out. It felt like Judgement Day, and everything would be completely destroyed. My wife was screaming, and I went to my children but I didn’t know what we could do. We fled outside and saw thousands of people on the streets with just the clothes on their backs. People were shouting for their lost children – whole families were separated and lost. So many buildings were totally destroyed, and I saw tens of people under the rubble, with crowds trying to pull them out.”
Ahmed Mahmoud, Islamic Relief’s Head of Mission in Türkiye and Syria, describes the first few days of the response:
“As we work we can hear the screams of children trapped under the rubble. Our staff are exhausted – many have lost their own relatives yet are working around the clock to deliver aid. The teams have been up throughout last night putting up tents and setting up reception centres for homeless families. We delivered beds and mattresses to several hospitals so that they have space to treat more of the casualties. But the hospitals are overwhelmed and running out of supplies. They’re even running out of body bags for the dead – a tragic reflection of how devastating these earthquakes have been.”
A developing situation
As the situation on the ground evolves, Islamic Relief is continuously reviewing our response to ensure we are giving people the support they need.
We continue to supply emergency aid while beginning to plan for longer-term recovery, as the impacts of the earthquake will be felt for many years to come.
Islamic Relief has been working in Syria and Türkiye for more than a decade and we will continue to stand by communities there as long as they need us. We are already starting to assess how we can rebuild vital infrastructure such as health facilities and schools, help the poorest people rebuild their livelihoods, and provide young people with mental health and psychosocial support to help them cope with the extremely traumatic events they’ve lived through.
Islamic Relief urgently needs your help to support those affected by the earthquakes to meet their immediate and long-term needs. Donate to our Emergency Appeal now.
