Cold, hunger and despair gripped hundreds of thousands of people after the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria four days ago as the death toll passed 21,000 on Friday. Over 17,650 people have died in Turkey and in Syria, authorities have reported 3,377 deaths.
An earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck south-central Turkey near the Syrian border in the early hours of Monday, February 6. Just 11 minutes later, an aftershock of 6.7 hit the country. And within hours, the country was struck by two more equally strong earthquakes, which ravaged even more buildings.
The aftermath of the earthquake saw the large-scale displacement of people and the destruction of their homes and businesses. The devastating effects of earthquakes do not end there. Many of the areas affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have been left in ruins and are still in the process of being rebuilt. This has caused a great deal of disruption to the lives of the people living in these areas and has resulted in a lack of basic amenities such as running water, electricity and medical care.
The earthquakes have also had a long-term impact on the economy of the affected areas. In Turkey, the GDP growth rate has slowed down significantly and the unemployment rate has increased significantly due to the destruction of property and the displacement of people. In Syria, the situation is even direr as the civil war has caused a catastrophic loss of life and property. The humanitarian crisis in Syria has been compounded by the earthquakes and their after-effects.
Governments and organisations from around the world are coming together to assist people who have been affected by earthquakes and to ensure that they have access to basic necessities.
World Bank has said that they will provide Turkey with $1.78 billion in earthquake relief financing. "The World Bank said in a statement that $780 million will become available for Ankara immediately, as the funds will be diverted from two existing World Bank loan projects in Turkey. Another $1 billion in assistance for Turkey's recovery and reconstruction is also being prepared but will take more time to arrange," a World Bank spokesperson said.
India launched "Operation Dost" to extend assistance to Turkiye as well as Syria a day after the earthquakes. It sent two teams consisting of 101 personnel of NDRF along with specially trained dog squads to Turkey by special Indian Air Force flights.
The United States said on Thursday it will provide $85 million in urgent humanitarian assistance to Turkey and Syria.
Britain is committing additional funding - at least 3 million pounds ($3.65 million) - to support search and rescue operations and emergency relief in Syria.
Greece sent thousands of tents, beds and blankets on Thursday to help the hundreds of thousands of people left homeless by deadly earthquakes in Turkey.
Also read: Turkey earthquake: Scientists explain why country suffered extensive damage