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This story was last updated at 13:45 on Friday, 10 February
Giro 555: This fund is also still accepting money to support Ukraine (for donations specifically designated for that purpose), but as of 6 February, they are also actively collecting funds on behalf of those impacted by the earthquake.
Giro 7244: The Red Cross has opened a special donation account specifically for the victims of the quakes in Syria and Turkey. This source has already raised more than 2 million euros within two days.
Giro 999: This emergency donation source helps to pay for food and medication, in particular for refugees.
The Turkish Foundation: A international charitable religious foundation established in 1975, Türkiye Diyanet Foundation is also accepting donations for victims of the quakes.
The Islamic Foundation of the Netherlands, a Turkish organization, is also collecting donations for the victims of the natural disaster. “During the earthquake on 6 February in the south of Turkey, many buildings were destroyed and the devastation is massive. We ask for Allah’s mercy for the deceased, a swift recovery for the injured, and patience and strength for their families.”
In the north, Dagblad van het Noorden reports that the municipality of Eemsdelta has donated 45,000 euros – one euro per resident – to Giro 555. According to RTV Noord, the mayor of Midden-Groningen also presented a donation on behalf of each inhabitant of the municipality – 61,500 – to the Orhan Gazi Mosque in Hoogezand.
In Hoogeveen, 19-year-old Engin Balanan set up a donation spot at the mosque on the Rozenstraat, where they are currently collecting winter clothing (jackets, gloves, scarves), feminine hygiene products, baby supplies (diapers and wipes), shampoo, soap, blankets, sleeping bags, power banks and heaters.
The most recent death toll, which is sadly projected to continue rising due to cold temperatures and the ongoing war in northern Syria, has surpassed 22,000 at of 10 February, with hundreds of thousands injured and left homeless.
The Netherlands has a large Turkish-descended population: according to the Dutch national bureau of statistics, as of January 2023, there were 443,692 people of Turkish descent living in the country. Slightly more than half (51.1 percent) are second generation, which means they were born in the Netherlands.
The Turkish community in the Netherlands has spoken with regional and national media, sharing their concerns for their family and friends in Turkey and expressing a sense of urgency for the rescue efforts.
RTL Nieuws spoke with Ahmed, a Turkish-Dutch man from Drenthe, who said his mother and sister had sent him WhatsApp messages while they were still trapped underneath four floors of a collapsed building. They were ultimately rescued, as were several members of his girlfriend’s family, but other relatives remain unaccounted for.
Mustafa Gumussu, a photographer from Heerenveen, told the Leeuwarder Courant that temperatures can reach -15 degrees Celsius in February, and said he fears that more people will end up dying due to exposure to the cold.
DutchNews reports that two flights of rescue workers and much-needed equipment from the Netherlands have already arrived in Turkey.
Turkey has two fault zones, which means that the country is regularly hit by strong earthquakes: The New York Times writes that there have been 70 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 of higher in the past 125 years.