(Ottawa) Ottawa announces that Canada is providing an initial “emergency humanitarian response” of $10 million to support the populations of Turkey and Syria following the violent earthquakes.
International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said on Tuesday that the federal government was assessing the need for additional assistance on the ground and also considering deploying the Canadian Armed Forces Disaster Response Team, to assist in rescue operations.
Minister Sajjan said on Tuesday that “thanks to the $50 million in funding” Canada has provided for disaster response in Syria, its “partners on the ground have already launched emergency response activities.”
The death toll from Monday’s earthquakes topped 6,200 on Tuesday and is expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue.
The powerful 7.8 magnitude quake, which was followed by strong aftershocks, flattened thousands of buildings in southeastern Turkey and parts of neighboring Syria.
According to Turkish Vice President Faut Oktay, more than 8,000 people have been pulled from the rubble in his country so far, and some 380,000 have taken refuge in hotels and government buildings.