Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) immediately responded to the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Turkey.
The QRCS confirmed it had set up a Disaster Information Management Centre (DIMC) in Turkey’s Izmir to respond to a major earthquake that killed dozens.
The DIMC aims to keep updated and timely information about the situation, in coordination with international humanitarian organisations, including the local the Turkish Red Crescent.
“We are there for the brotherly Turkish people in this calamity,” said Ali bin Hassan Al-Hammadi, QRCS secretary-general.
“The leaders and relief officers of both QRCS and the Turkish Red Crescent are working closely together. All our available human and logistic resources are aligned to help the affected families, ensuring rapid delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need, especially with the advent of the winter.”
The DIMC will provide emergency aid, including tents, tarpaulins, repair kits, drinking water, readymade meals, personal hygiene kits, blankets, winter clothes, and kitchenware.
In addition to the items provided, the centre also provides those affected by the earthquake with psychological support to help manage mental health issues in the aftermath of the traumatic event.
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The Aegean Sea earthquake hit Izmir and northeast of the Greek island of Samos on Friday, killing at least 90 people in Turkey and injuring approximately 1,000 people. Two teenagers were also killed in Greece and up to 19 people were injured.
The earthquake was followed with hundreds of aftershocks as well as a devastating tsunami.
As a result, several buildings have collapsed in the third-largest city in Turkey, with rescue missions still ongoing.
On Monday, Turkey’s disaster and emergency authority (AFAD) announced the rescue of the 106th person from the rubble – a three-year old girl named Elif Perincek. Her seven-year-old brother had tragically died at the hospital after being pulled out 23 hours after the earthquake struck.
While Turkey is prone to earthquakes due to its geographical position, this was the strongest earthquake since the 2011 Van earthquake, a 7.2 magnitude quake that killed over 500 people and injured up to 1,650 in the city of Van and town of Ercis. This was also the strongest earthquake since 1999, where two powerful earthquakes killed 18,000 people in Turkey.
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