WASHINGTON: Turkish ambassador to the United States, Hasan Murat Mercan, announced that a businessman from Pakistan donated a substantial sum of $30 million for earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria, the Turkish version of Russian state-owned Sputnik news agency reported.
The magnitude of the disaster in Turkey and northwestern Syria continues to grow, as the death toll has now surpassed 24,000. In Turkey, the number of fatalities has reached 21,043, while the number of casualties in Syria has reached over 3,500.
The United Nations has warned that up to 5.3 million people in Syria may now be homeless after the earthquakes, and nearly 900,000 people in both countries are in dire need of hot food.
The rescue efforts are ongoing as authorities strive to help those affected by the disaster.
The Turkish-American associations and consulates in the US are working together to send both monetary donations and aid supplies to the affected areas. Mercan is collaborating with the heads of such associations, including Vildan Görener, head of the Illinois-based Turkish-American Association (TACA), through virtual meetings.
Görener said that organisations had already sent $100,000-$150,000 shortly after the earthquake, and that the anonymous businessman’s $30 million donation was a significant contribution.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took to Twitter to express his deep emotions after learning of a Pakistani individual who donated $30 million to the earthquake victims in the Turkish embassy in the US.
Deeply moved by the example of an anonymous Pakistani who walked into Turkish embassy in the US & donated $30 million for earthquake victims in Türkiye & Syria. These are such glorious acts of philanthropy that enable humanity to triumph over the seemingly insurmountable odds.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) February 11, 2023
He praised the act as a triumph of humanity over seemingly insurmountable odds.
