£500,000 emergency funding for Türkiye and Syria.

£500,000 in emergency funding is to be given to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to support the humanitarian aid efforts following the severe earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.

Regions of southern and central Türkiye and western Syria were hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the early morning of Monday 6^th February. The earthquake has caused a significant loss of life and severe damage to homes and infrastructure. The funding will enable the DEC to focus on priorities including emergency food, hygiene supplies and blankets.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“The scenes over the last few days from Türkiye and Syria are heart wrenching. This earthquake has caused a huge amount of damage and significant loss of life that will be felt for some time to come.

“There is an urgent need to support the humanitarian efforts being made to help those affected in Türkiye and Syria. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting efforts in the region and members of our emergency services have already been deployed to help the search and rescue operation on the ground.

“We will provide £500,000 in humanitarian aid to the DEC Appeal to support those affected with medical care, shelter, food and clean water. Members of the public can also pledge support and make donations to the DEC Appeal in a variety of ways and I encourage everyone to consider donating to the DEC if they can do so. The people of Türkiye and Syria desperately need our support.”  

Background

The DEC Appeal for Türkiye and Syria will launch on Thursday 9 February 2023. Details are available on the DEC website for how to donate to the Appeal.

The External Affairs Secretary has written to Türkiye’s Foreign Minister to offer condolences. If Scottish citizens are worried about their families or friends they should contact the crisis desk at the FCDO.