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A violent earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck this Monday at dawn in southern Turkey, near the border with northern Syria. A second wave of magnitude 7.5 also hit the region late morning.
The epicenter was located in Gaziantep province, about 45 km north of the northern border of Aleppo governorate in Syria. The earthquake affected an area of about 400 km, including the major industrial cities of Gaziantep, Adana, as well as the surrounding cities of Hatay, Malatya, Kilis, Diyarbakir and Adiyaman. Those areas are inhabited by around 12 million people, including nearly two million Syrian refugees. In Syria, the cities of Aleppo and Idlib have especially been impacted.
Thousands of buildings have collapsed, including hospitals; the heavy snow in the region, as well as the heavy rain have further complicated the organization of rescue efforts and access to victims. More than a thousand people have already died and thousands more have been injured in both countries; the human toll is expected to rise in the coming hours as the rubble is cleared, but also in view of the thousands of people who are now homeless, without resources, and potentially without access to care.
A call for international aid was launched by Turkey, while a state of emergency was declared in northwestern Syria by the White Helmets authorities.
Faced with this situation, Alliance Urgences, comprised of NGO members Action Contre la Faim, CARE, Handicap International, Médecins du Monde and SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL, are present in the field. The association is launching an emergency call to help the population.
The teams of the NGO members of Alliance Urgences are currently assessing the needs in the affected areas and organizing initial assistance to the victims, in coordination with the local authorities:
- Primary health care, psychological first aid, emergency rehabilitation
- Distribution of food aid and basic necessities
Press contact:
Spokespersons on site or in France are available for interviews.
Contacts: Fatouma Belarbi (MDM) +331 44 92 14 87 / Camille Nozières (CARE) +337 86 00 42 75
Notes aux rédactions :
Alliance Urgences is an association of 6 major humanitarian NGOs in the field: Action Contre la Faim, CARE France, Handicap International, Médecins du Monde, Plan International France and Solidarités International. Its mandate is to facilitate national solidarity in the context of large-scale emergencies by launching joint appeals for donations. Its mission is to significantly strengthen the coordination, speed and impact of the humanitarian response of its member NGOs to meet the needs of the people they are helping.
6 NGO 1 Clic 1 donation: Allianceurgences.org
Source des infos : OCHA