- Overview
- Australia’s Response
- Australia’s humanitarian assistance
- How Australians can help
- Media releases
Overview
The Australian Government extends its deepest condolences to all those affected by the devastating earthquakes and aftershocks in Türkiye, Syria, and the region.
On Monday 6 February an earthquake with a 7.8 magnitude struck at 0417hrs local time near the Turkish city of Gaziantep. The earthquake also heavily impacted north-west Syria, a region where 4.1 million people were already dependent on humanitarian assistance. The majority are women and children. At 1324hrs local time and on the same day, a second earthquake, also magnitude 7.8, occurred at Elbistan, Kahramanmaras in Türkiye, around 80km north of the first earthquake. The earthquakes have been followed by more than 2,000 aftershocks.
The earthquakes have caused devastating loss of life, injury and destruction of buildings and infrastructure. Hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless in the middle of winter. Over a million people are in temporary shelter with at least 900,000 people urgently in need of food in both countries.
Australia’s Response
As part of Australia’s initial $10 million emergency relief package, a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) has deployed to Türkiye to assist local authorities with Urban Search and Rescue (USAR).
The Australian DART comprises 72 personnel including 68 USAR experts and four liaison officers drawn from the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Emergency Management Agency and from DFAT’s Crisis Response Team. The DART arrived in Türkiye’s Hatay Province on the evening of 12 February and established their operational base. The DART has capabilities in search and rescue, structural engineers, damage assessment experts, HAZMAT identification, providing water and sanitation, and support for early recovery.
Australia’s humanitarian assistance
The Australian Government has committed an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance for those affected by the earthquakes in both Türkiye and North-west Syria.
In Türkiye, Australia has provided $7 million in lifesaving assistance, which included:
- $4 million to Red Cross and Red Crescent partners, for the delivery of food and items such as tents and blankets to support those injured and evacuated; and
- deployment of a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) with Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) specialists.
In Syria, Australia has provided $3 million through the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to help meet immediate needs including for access to clean water and sanitation, with a focus on women and girls.
Australian-supported humanitarian partners are also responding.
- Australia’s flexible annual funding to major international humanitarian partners including UNHCR, the World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) has helped partners rapidly allocate resources to the earthquake response.
- The UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), to which Australia contributes annually, kick-started the UN response with a USD 25 million disbursement within a day of the earthquakes.
- The International Federation of the Red Cross’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund, funded by Australia and other donors, released funds to Turkish and Syrian Red Crescent national societies within a day.
