More than a month on, volunteers, states, as well as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from Bangladesh, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iraq’s Turkmen community continue sending relief to help with recovery efforts in Türkiye’s southeast ravaged by the twin earthquakes on Feb. 6.
Condolences, donations, rescuers and humanitarian relief poured into the disaster zone from around the world ever since magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes claimed nearly 48,000 lives across 11 Turkish provinces and at least 6,000 more in neighboring Syria.
Last Friday, another special Turkish Cargo flight left the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka laden with 70 tons of relief goods for earthquake victims in Türkiye. It is the fifth Turkish special cargo flight to carry relief items that Bangladeshis and their government donated to the people of Türkiye, according to official sources.
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) started receiving donations in Bangladesh on Feb. 8 – the second day after the earthquakes hit Kahramanmaraş province, the epicenter of the tremors.
About 500 tons of relief goods have been airlifted to Türkiye from Bangladesh, which its people and the government declared as friendly gifts to their Turkish brothers and sisters. Türkiye too has stood by Bangladesh in every hardship, most recently to help persecuted Rohingya refugees sheltered in Bangladesh's southern border district of Cox's Bazar.
Friday's flight carried 400 tents, 300 beds (mattresses), 300 sleeping bags and 700 blankets, according to TIKA.
Turkish Ambassador Ramis Şen and TIKA Bangladesh Coordinator Şevki Mert Barış were present at the airport for the shipment.
They expressed gratitude to the Bangladeshi people and the government for their wholehearted support.
"I want to share my gratitude with our Bangladeshi sisters and brothers from all walks of life. They have shown how they like Türkiye so much once more," Barış said.
He praised Bangladesh for “showing an example of solidarity and support to heal the wounds of the earthquakes,” referring to dayslong gatherings of Bangladeshis with donations at TIKA's headquarters in Dhaka.
"Thousands of people came to TIKA's office together with not only the needed items, but also teardrops and emotions. Witnessing this was very impressive and touching for us, and it was a memorable moment," he said.
Bangladeshis are also interested in giving cash to quake victims through a banking channel.
The Turkish Embassy in Dhaka is awaiting approval from the Bangladesh government to open a bank account, according to sources.
Another plane carrying humanitarian aid from Pakistan arrived in southern Türkiye early on Sunday.
The plane departed from Lahore and landed at Adana Airport, bringing 1,200 tents sent by the Pakistani government as part of a special cargo flight operation to transport 50,000 tents. It carried winter and fire-resistant tents, and was welcomed by Mahroo Arshad, press attaché at the Pakistani Embassy in Ankara and Counsellor Syed Atif Razay.
Three ships carrying nearly 13,600 winter tents are also headed to Türkiye and will arrive in Mersin province later this month.
Pakistan was among the first countries to send search and rescue teams to Türkiye as the government immediately dispatched a 33-member Pakistan Army Urban Search and Rescue Team on Feb. 6.
Iraqi Turkmen, too, are still extending a helping hand to Türkiye.
They collected foodstuffs, clothes, blankets, beds, drinking water and cleaning supplies from donors in the Turkmeneli region for the quake victims.
"We have been helping the quake victims in Malatya province for more than a month now," Murad Köprüoğlu, an Iraqi Turkmen, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Saturday.
Köprüoğlu, who owns a transport company, thanked the Turkmens in Kirkuk for their donations to the earthquake victims.
"Iraqi Turkmens residing in Istanbul sent aid trucks to the quake-hit area," he added, noting that Turkmens are also distributing food via a mobile kitchen established in Malatya while working to establish a camp of about 200 prefabricated houses for quake victims.
"We are still working on the field to help quake victims," he added.
According to Köprüoğlu, more than 50 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid have been dispatched by Iraqi Turkmens so far.
In the meantime, the UAE has delivered 5,975 tons of aid materials to both Türkiye and Syria through 215 cargo planes for the disaster victims since Feb. 6, the country's Defense Ministry tweeted on Saturday, as part of "Operation Gallant Knight 2" to support those affected by the quakes.
