The United States on Thursday announced $85 million in urgent humanitarian assistance for Turkey and Syria after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit the region earlier this week.
More than 20,000 people are now confirmed dead.
The death toll is expected to rise.
The quake struck 20 miles from Gaziantep.
Severe aftershocks ‘like Armageddon’ sent people running as thousands of buildings collapsed.
WATCH – Car cam video captures moment buildings collapse as earthquake hit Kahramanmaras city of Turkey pic.twitter.com/CbZUhhv1ki
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 7, 2023
Harsh winter conditions are making recovery efforts more difficult.
Anger is also growing over the Turkish government’s response to the severe quakes.
The US is sending $85 million in humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria.
“USAID is providing emergency food and shelter for refugees and newly displaced people, winter supplies to help families brave the cold, critical health care services to provide trauma support, safe drinking water to prevent disease, and hygiene and sanitation assistance to keep people safe and healthy,” USAID said in a statement.
