FILE – A destroyed building in Antakya, southern Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023.
Caritas Macau has reportedly received nearly MOP400,000 in cash donations over the past several days since it commenced an appeal for victims of last week’s Turkey-Syria earthquake.
The death toll from Monday’s quakes that hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria stood at 33,179 yesterday and was certain to rise as search teams locate more bodies in the rubble. Authorities said more than 92,600 other people were injured in the disaster.
Several charitable organizations in Macau are currently participating in the global action to raise funds and collect donations.
Without specifying the date, secretary general of Caritas Macau Paul Pun said the association is preparing to send the first batch of nearly MOP400,000, TDM has reported.
Pun has called on residents to donate cash to avoid logistics issue.
The fundraising event will continue for about three months, and the donations will be directed to Caritas Turkey or relevant organizations to purchase materials and equipment for the victims.
Meanwhile, Pun also said that recently, many people from all walks of life have offered to help fundraising, including advertising companies publishing free fundraising promotions, shops placing fundraising boxes and schools holding fundraising activities.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged earlier last week the initial response was hampered by the extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure that made it difficult to reach some areas. He also said the worst-affected area was 500 kilometers in diameter and was home to 13.5 million people in Turkey.
That has meant rescue crews have had to pick and choose how and where to help.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Syria’s northwestern rebel-held region has reached 2,166, according to the rescue worker group the White Helmets. The overall death toll in Syria stood at 3,553 on Saturday, though the 1,387 deaths reported for government-held parts of the country hadn’t been updated in days. LV
