Earthquake claims Thousands in Turkey and Syria: how to help victims from Monaco

The death toll has reached 16,000 and is expected to keep rising after Monday’s earthquake devastated southern Turkey and Syria. On 6 February 2023, a first 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck at 4:17am near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, home to 2 million people. It was followed by a 7.5-magnitude tremor and several aftershocks.

On Tuesday afternoon, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan imposed a state of emergency in the region for three months and declared the ten affected provinces “a disaster zone”. Turkey’s disaster management agency has received 11,342 reports of collapsed buildings. The death toll currently stands at 8,754 in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria. It is the deadliest earthquake worldwide in over a decade.

Many survivors in Turkey are now sleeping in cars and government shelters. Aid and rescue teams from the EU, the UK, the US and around the globe have landed in the affected sites. In Monaco, charity organization iConnect recently released a press statement asking for donations to provide urgent aid to victims in Turkey.

“Based on our strong ties with the local communities and their leaders in south-eastern Turkey, we are in an ideal position to ensure effective distribution of aid locally”, says President of iConnect Monaco, Christophe Sosso, “Every day counts, we must act quickly. People need blankets, food and bottled water, warm clothing, portable heaters, medical supplies.” Temperatures in the affected areas are dropping to -6°C, complicating rescue efforts.

iConnect Monaco is a Monegasque Christian charity with a long history of meeting the needs of underprivileged people in a number of countries, including Turkey. “We have considerable experience in delivering aid into the country, especially the areas where there has been terrible damage and loss of life,” states iConnect.

Donations to iConnect Monaco are now being accepted through direct bank transfers and checks, which can be mailed to: iConnect Monaco, 15 ave des Papalins, Le Magellan, Bloc A3, 98000 Monaco.

Banking information:

Société de Bank Monaco
Account Name : iConnect Monaco
Account Number : 120980412214132804200
IBAN : MC5812098041221413280420023
BIC : SDBMMCM2
SWIFT (Routing BIC) : NORDFRPP

For more information, email : office@iconnectmonaco.org