HEKS provides emergency aid for those affected by the earthquake in Syria
The violent earthquake on the Turkish-Syrian border has brought destruction and suffering to the local people. HEKS/EPER has been present in the affected areas in northern Syria for years, working with local partner churches. These were able to launch the first urgent emergency aid measures just a few hours after the disaster. HEKS’s first step is providing humanitarian aid worth 1 million Swiss francs.
In the early morning of 6 February, a violent earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria. According to a first preliminary assessment, more than 4000 people have died and 15'000 have been injured, while thousands of buildings have collapsed. The situation is particularly concerning in Syria, which is already facing a protracted humanitarian crisis after almost twelve years of conflict. The ongoing sanctions and the lack of reconstruction assistance from the international community have led to many buildings becoming unstable and the infrastructure collapsing. The economy is in ruins, the power supply is insufficient, a cholera outbreak has ravaged the area for months and many Syrians are suffering from hunger. Now many people’s homes are no longer habitable, leaving them without shelter in the cold of winter.
Keystone