Key Points
- Khalsa Aid volunteers distribute meals and blankets in earthquake-hit Türkiye.
- The organisation's CEO, Ravi Singh, said "miserable cold" has deepened the crisis for survivors.
- Mr Singh is volunteering in freezing temperatures despite 'serious' health issues.
- Australia pledges an initial $10 million in humanitarian aid.
Khalsa Aid, an international not-for-profit organisation that provides humanitarian assistance in disaster-hit zones, is leading relief work in southeast Türkiye and areas near the Syrian border worst hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and a series of aftershocks.
Situation at ground zero
Khalsa Aid CEO Ravi Singh (R) and volunteer Chamkor Singh (L) in Türkiye. Credit: Supplied
He said the quakes have caused widespread destruction: damaging roads, flattening buildings and critical infrastructure in the region.
"On 10 February, we travelled to a city near the Syrian border that was entirely in ruins. All around, you could see rubble and debris from flattened buildings.
"It's heartbreaking to see rescuers still searching rubble for survivors as families await to reunite with a loved one on the other side of the ruin," he said.
More than 33,000 people have died across the two countries in the disaster, according to the latest official figures.
Freezing temperatures hamper rescue and relief efforts
Khalsa Aid CEO Ravi Singh talking to children in Türkiye amid freezing weather. Credit: Supplied
"People are sitting outside in -2 and -3 degree temperatures amid strong wind currents at night.
"We came across a family with five children, one of whom was disabled. There was also an older woman and the children's mother crying at their haplessness. They were all sitting under a shade of a flimsy sheet. We gave them six or seven blankets. It was heart-wrenching," he said.
Mr Singh said it is anticipated that the death toll would rise as the hope of rescuing more survivors is dwindling amid freezing conditions.
Ongoing relief work
Khalsa Aid has distributed over 3,500 blankets to survivors reeling under the cold weather and has also set up langar (free meals) in at least three different spots in affected areas.
Mr Singh shared that they have placed orders for more blankets and would soon be joined by an additional team of volunteers from the UK and the US.
"Our local teams from Iraq are already assisting us in providing relief efforts. Some local organisations have also volunteered to join our efforts. We will soon be joined by a huge team of volunteers from the UK and the US who will stay here for at least a month till the emergency phase continues," he informed.
He said the volunteers would continue to make risk assessments and focus on providing the most urgent aid in the next few days.
Mr Singh, who recently underwent a kidney transplant, is on his first aid mission in three years.
"I haven't travelled on any mission in the past three years because of my health. But I'd like to say to all the young volunteers that please continue to volunteer in whatever capacity you can so that when you look back, you don't have any regrets," he said.
Australia pledges $10 million in aid to Syria and Türkiye
Australia pledges $10 million in aid to Syria and Türkiye. Source: EPA / SEDAT SUNA/EPA/AAP Image
In addition, the government is also working to provide a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Turkey to support local authorities with search and rescue efforts.
"Our National Emergency Management Agency, or NEMA, is working closely with Fire and Rescue NSW, DFAT and the ADF to coordinate the deployment as soon as possible, with an aim to have boots on the ground by the end of the week," said Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong in a joint media release with Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt.
"These Urban Search and Rescue specialists are highly trained to locate, deliver medical assistance to, and remove victims who have been trapped or impacted by a structural collapse," the media release stated.
India, the United States and China have also sent disaster response teams.
Click on the audio icon to listen to an interview with Ravi Singh from Khalsa Aid in Punjabi.
LISTEN TO
Sikh volunteers distribute blankets and hot meals amid freezing cold in quake-hit Türkiye
SBS Punjabi
13/02/202309:41
