By Aysha Sarah & Klara Woxström
In the early hours of 6 February, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and parts of Syria. Almost 9 hours later, a second, 7.5-magnitude tremor followed. Both of these have caused disastrous civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure which are expected to increase.
The death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria has increased to over 23,000 as of 11 February. According to media sources, 20,318 people have been killed and over 80,052 have been reported injured. Meanwhile, the death toll in Syria soared to 3,513. In ten provinces, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan imposed a state of emergency. Multiple nations, including the US, India, the European Union, Ukraine, and China, have expressed their support for the two nations with President Joe Biden, authorising an “immediate US response”.
The LSESU Turkish Society prepared a bake sale on 8 February to raise funds for the emergency appeal. The society posted on their official Instagram account, “As a community, we have a responsibility to help those in need and make a positive impact on the world… Your support will make a real difference in the lives of those affected by this tragedy.”
At the bake sale, the LSESU Turkish Society raised funds to support the earthquake victims while sharing their culture with other LSE students. On 8 February, it was reported that the Turkish society has raised almost 3000 pounds. The LSESU Turkish society later said in an open letter to the LSE community, on February 10, they raised 4900 pounds in less than two days.
The chair of LSESU Turkish Society, Yunus Kaan Yilmazturk, told The Beaver, ‘‘The priority will change over the course of the events, the first 72 hours, we try to find the people in the field. After that, obviously, we have to understand the magnitude, we have to understand how these people are affected and what we can do… this is the best we can do while we are in London and while we are studying.’’
When asked about the potential impact of the crisis, Yilmazturk continued, ‘‘[E]motionally and psychologically this will last, I would say, decades. We had a very big earthquake back in 1999, which was in the Marmara region close to Istanbul, and it’s a very lively memory in people’s minds… This is the biggest in the Turkish Republic’s history. We are celebrating Turkey’s 100th anniversary of the Republic this year, and this is the biggest catastrophe of the century. So, it will last a long time, a decade probably, whatever we can do, we are just here to make a difference.’’
In the open letter to the LSE community, the LSESU Turkish society also wrote they have decided to continue their fundraising efforts on campus. To support the earthquake’s victims, the LSESU Turkish society has referred to the Turkish NGO Ahbap, and the LSE Turkish Society’s fundraisers for Turkey Mozaik Foundation and Oxfam.
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