Istanbul – Two Amazon cargo planes carrying emergency-relief supplies arrived in Istanbul during the weekend, to support IOM’s ongoing humanitarian response to earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. The supplies will be delivered to families who have lost their homes in the affected areas.  

The relief items will support the ongoing humanitarian response in the country through partner organizations like the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in close coordination with the Government of Türkiye, and through implementing partners in Northwest Syria. 

The earthquakes in Türkiye and northwestern Syria have destroyed homes, hospitals, and key infrastructure, displacing nearly 5 million people across the two countries. The dire situation in both countries is further exacerbated by continuous aftershocks; and requires safe and secure shelter for vulnerable families, many of whom have lost everything.  

IOM’s response in the two countries builds on existing expertise in disaster relief, with more than 1,000 staff in Türkiye, 600 of whom are based in the affected areas in southeast Türkiye; and large-scale cross-border operations in Northwest Syria run from Gaziantep.  

More than 1.25 million people have been reached with immediate relief assistance and 422 trucks worth of aid have been dispatched in the two countries, with support from national partners in Türkiye and through implementing partners in Northwest Syria. 

Amazon and IOM have a long-standing partnership, and their pro bono contribution has supported IOM’s operations in Bangladesh for the Rohingya response during the COVID-19 pandemic and for IOM’s response in Ukraine and neighboring countries.  

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Read more about IOM's appeal for the earthquake response in Türkiye and Syria.

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