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Cologne/Gaziantep. Humanitarian aid for the people affected by the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria continues at full speed. Today, the first trucks that were dispatched from Germany on Thursday are expected to arrive in Türkiye. A total of 10 tons of relief supplies including beds, blankets, tents and mattresses, will be handed over to the Turkish Red Crescent for distribution upon arrival. “The international support is immense, and we are very grateful for that. Logistics remain a major challenge. Our colleagues in Türkiye and Malteser International headquarters in Cologne are working nonstop to procure further relief supplies, and to bring those over to Türkiye,” says Dr. Thomas Weiss, Head of Malteser International’s Middle East Department. He stays in close contact with the Malteser team in Türkiye from Cologne. “Yesterday, we sent off two more trucks with 600 generators each,” Weiss states.

“Our partner organizations in Syria are also supporting the affected people with relief supplies, such as tents and blankets,” explains Weiss. At the same time, medical support by our partners in northwestern Syria continues in the hospitals. “We gave it our all in these first few days to save as many lives as possible,” explains Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khatib as he reflects on the situation at Armanaz Hospital. “Today we started the second phase: on one hand we treat people’s fractures, on the other we want to support their mental health.” Hundreds of people were hospitalized with severe bleeding, bruising, and massive injuries to their limbs, chest, head, and spine after the earthquake.

Malteser International supports the relief efforts of the local Malteser team from the border town of Kilis. From there, Malteser is organizing emergency aid for people in Türkiye and Syria.

Attention editors: 

Ilaria Ghelardoni, Communications and Marketing Manager at Malteser International Americas, is available for interviews. ilaria.ghelardoni@malteser-international.org 

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