Estonia helps the victims of the earthquake in Van

27.10.2011

The Estonian Foreign Ministry has granted 100 000 EUR to the Turkish Red Crescent for helping the victims and managing the consequences of the disastrous earthquake in Eastern Turkey on 23 October that that has left over 500 dead and more than 1600 injured.

According to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, Estonia’s contribution comes as a response to the Turkish government’s request to the international community yesterday to support rescue works, providing temporary shelters, prevention of the spread of diseases and distributing food. „Nearly 600 000 people are without a home and thousands of houses have been destroyed,“ affirmed Paet. „Aftershocks and temperatures below zero add to the difficulty of the situation. Another problem is the possible spread of contagious diseases,“ said the minister.

The sum given to Turkish Red Crescent comes from the Foreign Ministry budget reserved for humanitarian aid.