Following the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, we have launched an emergency appeal fund.
On Monday at 4:17am local time a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey near the city of Gaziantep, devastating parts of Turkey and Syria. It was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks.
Then at 13:24 local time, a second earthquake (M7.5) hit the Elbistan district around 80 miles north of Gaziantep.
Reports suggest that over 11,000 have been killed as hundreds of buildings collapsed, and many thousands more injured. These figures continue to rise.
Right now, rescuers are racing to save people in Turkey and Syria who are trapped beneath the rubble, and get shelter and support to those who have lost their homes or are afraid to return inside.
We, and all other communities of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, are collecting funds to send to crisis response teams delivering assistance and support to those in need in the regions of Hama, Aleppo and Lattakia. All donations will be collected and sent to the archdiocese. They will then be sent directly to emergency response teams without going through other NGOs or intermediaries.
You can make a donation using this restricted fund to help people in Turkey and Syria affected by the earthquakes.