On Sunday, Pope Francis offered prayers for the people of Turkey and Syria, who are reeling from the aftermath of recent earthquakes that have claimed the lives of more than 28,000 people. He reportedly addressed his Angelus on Feb. 12, Sunday.
Prayers for the People of Syria and Turkey
While speaking from a window in the Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis described how the images of pain moved him and suffering from the disaster that he saw on television and urged people to "pray and think about what we can do for them."
"Continue to be close with prayer and concrete support to the earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey," the pope added. The United Nations has reported that due to two earthquakes that occurred in rapid succession on Feb. 6, thousands of structures were destroyed across various regions of Turkey and Syria, rendering millions of people homeless.Catholic groups are striving to assist those affected by the disaster by offering food, housing, and other forms of relief to those in need.
The charitable organization is opening shelters in Aleppo, Hama, and Lattakia to assist in protecting from the bitter weather and snow for individuals who have been displaced from their homes. In addition, many countries have promised to contribute to the relief effort for earthquake victims. The United Kingdom has committed to sending a group of 76 searches and rescue personnel along with a squad of rescue dogs to Turkey. The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has conveyed his sympathies and stated that his administration is preparing to offer assistance.
In a separate tweet, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that it would release urgent assistance from its Disaster Response Emergency Fund to guarantee that relief efforts would go as planned.Furthermore, the following groups strive to aid those harmed by the earthquakes: CARE, Direct Relief, Doctors Without Borders, Global Giving, Humanitarian Relief Foundation, International Rescue Committee, Project HOPE, Save the Children, Syrian American Medical Society, the White Helmets, the Turkish Red Crescent (Türk Kızılay), UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and UNICEF.
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Turkey-Syria Earthquake Victims
CNN reported that since a horrific earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 occurred on Monday, Feb. 6, more than 33,000 people have lost their lives across Turkey and Syria. As temperatures continue to drop, there is little hope of finding any survivors to rescue. The most recent statistics suggest that there have been 33,181 fatalities throughout both countries. According to the Turkish Emergency Coordination Center SAKOM on Sunday, Feb. 12, the number of fatalities in Turkey has increased to 29,605.
As mentioned, the total number of deaths in Syria has reached 3,576, with 2,168 occurring in rebel-held areas in the northwest, as per the "White Helmets" civil defense organization, and 1,408 occurring in government-controlled areas, according to Syrian state media citing the health ministry on Saturday. The White Helmets, who proclaimed the conclusion of their search-and-rescue operations on Friday, told CNN on Saturday that the overall number of fatalities was expected to grow significantly.
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