Ashraf Siddiqui
Doha
The Syrian Embassy in Doha, in collaboration with Qatar Charity, has started receiving relief supplies and monetary donations from people in Qatar for families affected by this week's deadly earthquakes.
Dr. Bilal Turkiyeh, Charge d' Affaires at the Syrian embassy thanked Qatar Charity for its timely humanitarian support for the affected Syrian people. He said among them are also those displaced in their own motherland since last 12 years, have been living in flimsy shelters and tents.
He said that due to the heavy destruction on Turkish-Syrian border area, until now no help, machinery is reached to save and help the affected people in the area.
He said timely help could save lives of the many trapped under the debris and thousands of injured and other needy people, chances of survival are shrinking minute by minute.
He said that earthquake badly affected the water level in the Assi River in Salqin sub-district, as a result of the opening of Rustan Dam, around 1,000 houses are submerged, forcing over 7,000 people to evacuate. Reports reaching until now show two powerful earthquakes brought over 3,650 deaths, over 7,200 injured, 1,678 building completely destroyed and around 5,600 buildings partially destroyed.
He paid his gratitude to the Qatar Charity for extending help at this difficult times of Syria. Qatar Charity has kept its cash donation boxes in the Syrian embassy and have arrangements of collecting relief goods to send to the affected area.
Charge d' Affaires, Dr. Bila Turkiyeh has requested all the donors kindly to donate unused items including winter clothing, basic necessity of life for children, ladies and men in separate cartons with clearly mentioning name of items.
He has appealed for generous donation of items like tents, blankets, sleeping bags, canned food items, children food items, sanitary and hygiene kits, diapers, heaters and generators.
Syrian embassy is situated at Building 75, Street 809, Zone 66, Onaiza Street, Doha.