Today • • 29 March

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Türkiye Earthquake – The Situation On The Ground

It’s been almost a month since the first earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria. According to the United Nations, at least 50,000 people have been killed by the devastating earthquakes that have spawned many aftershocks, while many more are injured and tens of thousands still missing.

A few members of our Global Ehsan Relief team had recently just returned from the two affected countries, where they spent a week travelling to the most affected areas to lend a hand in providing urgent relief. While there, the team braved through aftershocks in neighbouring cities to ensure that our aid was personally delivered to those most affected. 

Moving from city to city each day, they personally delivered food aid packs, hot meals, winter clothing, blankets and more. They saw with their own eyes the horrifying destruction that has left the population – unfortunately mostly refugees – in a worrying state. 

Our team gave us their eyewitness accounts of the wreckage these earthquakes have caused. Here are just some of the lives that have been ruined by the catastrophe, as well as the urgent relief efforts that we have carried out together with our international partners on the ground.

The Reality in Kahramanmaras

After arriving in Türkiye, our team headed straight to Kahramanmaras, one of the most affected cities. While driving through the city, they witnessed many collapsed buildings and affected areas. Our Head of Communications, Muhammad Sufi, along with two other team members, Assistant Project Manager Alif Akmal and Media Executive Alief Idzman visited one of the warehouses that stored the supplies for distribution. 

According to Brother Hasan from our international partner Hayrat Yardim, items like baby milk, diapers, sanitary pads, medicine and masks were most needed, especially during the first few days when the initially fatal earthquake occurred. 

During the time, the aid teams were split into two – one Search and Rescue team and a Distribution team. With the search and rescue almost done, most of the manpower and focus had been shifted to providing the survivors with urgent aid, especially to rebuild their lives. 

In Albistan, a district in Kahramanmaras, a food truck supplies more than 5,000 meals daily, operating three times a day and serving soup, a hot meal and hot tea.

Affected Syrian Families in Hatay

Another earthquake had struck the city of Antakya, Hatay, just a day before our team travelled to the city. 

Most of the residents had to evacuate while some fled to other cities and stayed with their families there. There were others who had nowhere else to go; they could only live in tents located in open fields near their house.

In Reyhanli, Hatay, we met Ayham and his family. When the earthquake happened, the family initially thought it was only a mere storm. Afterwards, they ran outside and stayed in their cars, where they stayed for three days. The first thing they did was to visit their families staying nearby to make sure everyone was fine. Feeling terrified and worried, they were thankful to find out that their relatives were safe. They shared with our team how the most important items they needed were heating materials, food supplies and tents – all to fit their big family of 20. They expressed their gratitude and our team’s presence made them really happy. 

This is the reality for just one affected family that we met. 

There are thousands more who desperately need your help, especially for what comes next for them. Nearly 10,000 aftershocks were reported as survivors in Türkiye and areas affected by the earthquake are coping with the aftermath. With Ramadhan approaching, we urge you to donate today to provide Iftar Meals to ease their struggles.⁠