The United States and the West on Friday led international aid efforts to Türkiye as the country grapples with two devasting earthquakes that killed over 18,000 people in 10 southeastern cities.
The U.S. Thursday announced an initial $85 million aid package to help Türkiye and Syria recover from the earthquake, while also granting a temporary relief of some Damascus-related sanctions.
The 7.8-magnitude quake struck early Monday near the Turkish-Syrian border, and by Friday morning the death toll in both countries topped 21,000. Search efforts persist but chances of finding survivors are dimming.
The U.S. Agency for International Development said the funding will go to partners on the ground "to deliver urgently needed aid for millions of people," including through food, shelter and emergency health services.
The funding will also support safe drinking water and sanitation to prevent the outbreak of disease, USAID said in a statement.
The announcement comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier Thursday spoke by telephone with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to discuss the NATO ally's needs.
"We are proud to join the global efforts to help Türkiye just as Türkiye has so often contributed its own humanitarian rescue experts to so many other countries in the past," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters as he described the call.
The Treasury Department later announced a temporary lifting of some Syria-related sanctions, hoping to ensure that aid moves as quick as possible to those affected.
The move "authorizes for 180 days all transactions related to earthquake relief that would be otherwise prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations," the department said in a statement.
It stated however that U.S. sanctions programs "already contain robust exemptions for humanitarian efforts."
The United States has sent rescue teams to Türkiye and has contributed concrete breakers, generators, water purification systems and helicopters, officials said Thursday.
USAID said rescue teams were focused on badly hit Adiyaman – a city in southeastern Türkiye – seeking survivors with dogs, cameras and listening devices.
Following major damage to roads and bridges, the U.S. military has sent Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters to transfer supplies, it said.
The U.K., in the meantime, will send a field hospital and a critical care air support team and aircraft to help provide vital emergency treatment to those critically injured.
"The field hospital, which includes an emergency department, 24/7 operating theater and accompanying clinical staff, will deploy to support the post-earthquake response in the country," according to an official statement.
"The U.K. stands ready to assist our close allies and friends during this terrible time. We will keep options open for further assistance as requested," Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said, adding "the Hercules C130 will be used to move casualties within Türkiye."
Development Minister Andrew Mitchell also said the U.K. has moved quickly to get vital emergency supplies to survivors of the recent earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
The supplemental support comes in addition to a team of 77 U.K. search and rescue specialists, equipment and four search dogs that arrived on Tuesday in Gaziantep, one of the 10 provinces in Türkiye affected by the earthquakes, to begin their life-saving operations.
The EU on Friday also reiterated its determination to support Türkiye.
European Council President Charles Michel once again expressed the union's condolences to victims of Monday's two quakes as he spoke at a press conference after a special meeting of the council.
He underscored that the bloc would act together with member states to support those affected by the disaster and help with search and rescue efforts.
Michel also expressed the union's willingness to mobilize all resources to help the victims of the quakes.
"There is going to a be a donor conference in Brussels in the near future," he added.
New Zealand announced Friday an additional $3 million New Zealand dollars ($1.89 million) in humanitarian assistance to support relief efforts in Türkiye and Syria.
Acting Foreign Minister David Parker said in a statement that the latest announcement brings New Zealand's total humanitarian funding for the earthquake response to NZ$4.5 million.
"It is clear the earthquakes have been devastating for the people of Türkiye and Syria. New Zealand's thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those affected," Parker said.
"NZ$2 million (about $1.26 million) will be delivered through the World Food Programme (WFP) in Türkiye, providing immediate relief for displaced families in an overwhelmingly challenging environment that is made worse by freezing temperatures," he added.
While NZ$1 million (about $631,500) will be provided to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for its response in Syria.
According to the acting minister, two fire and emergency support specialists are on the ground to help coordinate international search and rescue efforts in Türkiye.
"These individuals are working out of New Zealand as part of an international team. Based on advice from search and rescue personnel supporting the response coordination in Türkiye, our teams determined that they could effectively contribute remotely."
"Time zone differences mean this team can provide round-the-clock support for the response in Türkiye," Parker said.
