Qatar aid benefitted two million in earthquake-hit Turkey, Syria

The Gulf state was quick to mobilise aid delivery to the affected areas.

Qatari aid sent to earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria benefitted around two million people and surpassed 247.2 million QAR ($68 million), the Gulf state’s foreign ministry spokesperson Dr. Majed Al Ansari told the press on Tuesday.

“The Qatari response to the quake disaster was quick from the first day and was at several levels,” Dr. Al-Ansari told a weekly press briefing.

Deadly earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria on 6 February, the worst the area has witnessed this century, killing nearly 50,000 people.

In the wake of the disaster, the Gulf state’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ordered the dispatch of an air bridge to Turkey, along with a team of the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Forces, Lekhwiya.

Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was also the first leader to visit the country following the disaster, last month.

Days later, the amir donated 50 million QAR ($14 million) to earthquake victims on live television as part of the Oun and Sanad campaign.

The campaign successfully gathered 168,015,836 QAR (around $19 million).

Dr. Al-Ansari also told the press that the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) has been focusing on distributing 2,500 port cabins between Turkey and northern Syria along with 3,500 fully-equipped family tents.

QFFD’s total contributions have surpassed 112.7 million QAR as Qatar’s total aid reached 247.2 million QAR.

Speaking to Doha News on Monday, Dr. Mohamed Salah Ibrahim, Director of Relief and International Development Division at the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) noted that aid will continue.

“Until now, of course, our intervention is ongoing, the QRCS is present in Turkey and in Syria. We are providing a lot of aid that alleviates the existing crisis and the one that occurred,” Dr. Ibrahim said.