(VOVWORLD) - The United Nations launched an appeal for 1 billion USD Thursday to help victims in Turkey of last week's catastrophic earthquake that killed thousands of people and left millions more in desperate need of aid.
 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (Photo: AFP) |
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that the funds will provide humanitarian relief for three months to 5.2 million people.
The aid, which will be distributed in three phases, will "allow aid organizations to rapidly scale up vital support," including in the areas of food security, protection, education, water, and shelter.
Guterres urged the international community to step up and fully fund this critical effort in response to “one of the biggest natural disasters of our times.“
On the same day, the head of the UN Humanitarian and Emergencies Coordinating Agency Martin Griffiths also called on countries to support this effort. International humanitarian organizations have launched relief operations in the worst-affected areas.
As of Thursday, the search and rescue team of the Vietnam People’s Army had discovered 11 locations of earthquake victims in Turkey, at two of which there are signs victims may still be alive.
The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria has reached 44,000.