Earthquakes in Turkey and Northwest Syria – Emergency Cargo Operation (February 18, 2023)

Following the deadly double earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, particularly northwestern Syria, France affirms its support for the victims of this earthquake, which caused the death of tens of thousands of people and left many injured.
France immediately mobilized to provide initial emergency aid to the affected populations as soon as the disaster occurred. 12 million has been set up for the benefit of the United Nations and NGOs working in the areas affected by the earthquakes in northern Syria.
As a continuation of this mobilization, a plane chartered by the Crisis and Support Center of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs leaves today for Gaziantep with 40 tons of equipment on board, which includes:
emergency shelters, including 600 family tents financed by the Crisis and Support Center to house nearly 3,000 people, 48 heaters, 20 generators, cables and electrical connection equipment donated by Electriciens sans frontières and its partners, medicines to treat up to 15,000 patients donated by the Tulipe association, and more than 6 tons of powdered infant milk donated by the LACTALIS Group.
This emergency aid will be handed over to the Turkish Disaster Agency (AFAD) and the International Office for Migration (IOM) which will ensure the distribution of this emergency aid to the Syrian populations affected by the earthquake in the affected areas.
This operation, which is part of the European Union’s civil protection mechanism (MPCU), is coordinated by the Crisis and Support Centre of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and our embassy in Ankara in conjunction with the Turkish authorities and the United Nations.