Turkish FM Cavusoglu lauds Saudi earthquake relief efforts

Turkey’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday met with a delegation of Saudi relief organizations who are helping victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

The meeting between KSrelieft (King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center), the Saudi Red Crescent and Cavusoglu took place during the delegation’s field tour of quake-hit areas in the Turkish city of Hatay, SPA reported.

“The Turkish minister lauded the quick response of Saudi relief teams to come to the rescue of earthquake victims,” SPA said.

The deadliest quake in Turkey since 1939 has killed nearly 34,000 people in the country and Syria since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit on Monday February 6.

United Nations relief chief Martin Griffiths said on Sunday that he believes the death toll will “double or more” to top 50,000.

“We haven’t really begun to count the number of dead,” Griffiths said. The quake has left a devastating impact on the affected areas, with tens of thousands of rescue workers braving the freezing weather to search for survivors in the flattened neighborhoods.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the earthquake has affected nearly 26 million people. WHO has initiated a flash appeal for $42.8 million to address the pressing health needs of those affected.The situation is particularly dire in Syria, where it is estimated that up to 5.3 million individuals may now be homeless.

Read more:

Turkey to act against those involved in looting in areas affected by earthquakes

UN seeks aid for 874,000 Turkey-Syria earthquake survivors

Syria’s Assad regime approves aid to earthquake victims in areas outside govt control