European Churches" "
“This earthquake represents a major tragedy for our country. We pray for the victims of this disaster and ask God for patience. May our Saviour protect Turkey and the whole world”. With these words the Patriarchal Vicar of the Catholic Syriac community, Msgr. Yusuf Sag, commented on the earthquake that struck the town of Bingol, in south-east Turkey on 1st May. Its effects were also felt in 30 neighbouring villages. “Since last Friday any hope of being able to extract further victims from the rubble was lost”, local relief workers told Turkish Caritas which also gave an update on the situation thanks to the Crisis Management Centre of the Province of Bingol. “At the present time the victims ascertained are 167 of whom 84 are students who died in the collapse of the boarding house of their school at Celtiksuyu, 56 in the town of Bingol itself and the rest in outlying villages. There are 521 injured. Enormous damage has also been caused to buildings with 82 structures completely collapsed, 1,176 so seriously damaged as to be beyond repair, 1.399 damaged less seriously”. “Aid – they told Turkish Caritas – has been organized by the local government, which has had to respond to the protests of the population calling for more aid and greater rapidity in intervention. The local police chief was replaced on 2 May after police opened fire against angry demonstrators. Like Turkish Caritas, we are in touch with the Red Crescent (local Red Cross) and are making available emergency food aid and other supplies”. The needs reported by Turkish Caritas are various: “We need 5,000 sleeping bags for adults (necessary because of the cold nights in the area), 3,000 food rations in tins for families of 7 persons, for one month, 3,000 twenty litre containers for drinking water, mobile latrines and showers, in a quantity still to be defined, for community use, 2,000 fifty kg. dustbins with lids, 20,000 plastic bags for refuse and 1,000 fire-extinguishers”. “The pressure of the population and the mass media is very strong concludes Turkish Caritas and this creates a climate of uncertainty which will only be reduced once these needs have been satisfied”.
