Canada stands ready to airlift NATO humanitarian supplies to Turkey, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday, as operations continue in that country. and in Syria to find survivors of the massive earthquake that left thousands dead.
Mr. Trudeau also offered his condolences to Mr. Erdogan and to the Turkish people, who are in mourning following the earthquake that killed more than 40,000 people on February 6.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
According to the account provided by the Prime Minister’s Office, Trudeau offered “Canada’s unwavering support for recovery efforts” in Turkey, assuring that Canada “stands ready to airlift humanitarian supplies from the NATO to Turkey”.
“Prime Minister Trudeau has informed the President that the Canadian Armed Forces also stand ready to provide any additional support to the Turkish authorities, if required,” reads the summary of the conversation.
In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, Canada sent $10 million in emergency humanitarian aid to “meet the immediate and most urgent needs of those affected by these devastating events”.
The federal government also announced its intention to match all donations made by individuals to the Canadian Red Cross in aid of Turkey and Syria, from February 6 to 22, up to a maximum of 10 million .
TURKISH PRESIDENCY PHOTO VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Kahramanmaras on February 8, where he met with earthquake survivors.
On Saturday, “Prime Minister Trudeau indicated that further financial assistance from Canada and Canadians would follow previously announced funds.” President Erdogan thanked Mr. Trudeau for this gesture, as well as for the aid already announced.
On the ground, a couple and their son were pulled from the rubble under a collapsed apartment building in Antakya, the capital of Turkey’s Hatay province. The child, however, died a few hours later.
The three people were transferred to hospitals after spending 296 hours buried under the Kanatli building in the center of the city, according to a local television station. Footage showed medics attaching an IV to the man’s arm as he lay on a stretcher.
Anadolu news agency identified those rescued as 49-year-old Samir Muhammed Accar, his 40-year-old wife Ragda and their 12-year-old son. The boy later died in hospital. The bodies of two other children were also found in the rubble, according to media reports which quoted a member of a rescue team.
Hatay is one of the provinces most affected by the earthquake in Turkey. As of Friday evening, Turkey’s death toll stood at 39,672, bringing the number of deaths recorded in the two countries to 43,360.
With information from The Associated Press