Türkiye-Syria quake survivors seek tea and tents from Lanka
Battered by a devastating earthquake, and brutal, cold weather, helpless and homeless Türkiye and Syrian residents are seeking assistance from Sri Lanka in the form of tents suitable for sub-zero conditions and tea.
Pastor Kandasamy David was living in anlıurfa close to the Syrian border at the time of the natural disaster.
“I have been in Türkiye for more than two decades and this is the first time I’m seeing the country in such chaos, debris, and pain in the eyes of people who have lost their loved ones and their homes. Soon after the violent tremors, the apartment next to ours collapsed. I immediately took my family away from our apartment,” he told the Sunday Times.
The father of four said his young children are in shock as they witnessed so much destruction.
“Currently we are safe in a church in Mardin and have provided shelter to Syrian refugees. Most refugees are already weak without food and have been exposed to winter storms, making the situation worse. Many sustained injuries from the earthquake, too. Distributing warm cups of Ceylon tea is the best Sri Lanka can do right now for those in shelters.
The cold outside is unbearable,” he said.
The Jaffna-born pastor has been distributing hot cups of tea to those in temporary shelters.
The Sri Lanka Embassy in Ankara also made an urgent appeal for tents.
"The desk officer for Sri Lanka at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye informed that the country is in urgent need of tents and sought the possibility of Sri Lanka to send some tents. The tents need to be suitable for winter weather. If any Sri Lankan company/companies are willing to manufacture, the embassy would arrange free cargo," the embassy said.
The death toll from Monday's 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that hit the south-eastern region of Türkiye and Syria was 20,000 by Friday. Rescue teams are racing against time, amid the harsh weather. Over 60 countries have rushed to assist in search operations as the survival rate of those trapped in the debris and rubble, especially children, is low due to the extreme cold weather conditions.
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Ankara, Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake said 15 out of 16 Lankans living in areas jolted by the earthquake are in safe shelters.
The Sri Lanka’s Embassy in Ankara has sought assistance from the Turkish disaster response agency ASAD to locate a Sri Lankan woman who had been at her apartment when it collapsed.
"The missing lady, originally from Galagedara has been in the country for many years and married to a Turkish national. She has been in Kahramanmaras. Their daughter is currently in Istanbul and we are communicating with her," she said.
The mobile phone of the missing female has been recovered by rescuers. Eight out of the nine Sri Lankans in Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep and Adana areas have been contacted and are in safe places. All five Sri Lankans in
Kayseri, too, are safe, the embassy reported.
About 270 Sri Lankans are living in Turkey - most are in Ankara and Istanbul.
"The temperature is -7 degrees. With the support of the Sri Lanka Tea Board we are planning to distribute hot tea to the worst affected areas, especially the worst affected Kahramanmaras area," Ms Dissanayake told the Sunday Times.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said ambassador-designate Kapila Jayaweera, based in Beirut, and accredited to Syria, has confirmed that there are no reports of Sri Lankans in affected areas in Syria and that the Sri Lanka Embassy in Beirut is monitoring the situation.
While extending condolences on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka to the Government and the people of Turkey, President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed solidarity. He also expressed solidarity with the people of Syria.
“I am profoundly distressed to learn of the catastrophic earthquake also causing devastation to life, limb and property in Syria. Sri Lanka stands in solidarity with the people of Syria at this difficult time,” he said.
India was the first in the region to send emergency assistance by despatching heavy-lift aircraft and about 100 personnel from the country’s National Disaster Response Force to Turkey. Medical teams were sent to Syria.
Sri Lanka, recalling the humanitarian assistance by Turkey soon after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, has offered emergency assistance.
The Sri Lanka Embassy in Ankara lowered its flag and postponed the diplomatic reception for the 75th Anniversary of Independence.
A ceremony was held at the Gangaramaya temple presided over by Ven. Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thero to invoke blessings on the people of Türkiye and Syria. Ambassador to Türkiye Demet ekercio lu and secretary to the president Saman Ekanayake were present.
Former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, too, visited the Turkish Embassy in Colombo to sign the book of condolences.
"The desk officer for Sri Lanka at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye informed that the country is in urgent need of tents and sought the possibility of Sri Lanka to send some tents. The tents need to be suitable for winter weather. If any Sri Lankan company/companies are willing to manufacture, the embassy would arrange free cargo," the embassy said.