The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal has reached more than £101.5m in a fortnight, it has confirmed.
Its appeal was launched on 9 February and included a £5m matched donation by the UK government through the UK Aid Match scheme.
Meanwhile, JustGiving reported that £9.8m including Gift Aid has been raised through its platform so far.
DEC need help to ‘scale-up’ response
DEC said the money raised was helping to provide urgent relief for people affected by the earthquakes which have killed more than 44,000 people, injured more than 100,000 and displaced hundreds of thousands of families.
It brings together 15 leading aid charities at times of crisis overseas, and fourteen of these are either responding or planning to respond in Turkey and Syria and will receive funds from this appeal.
Glastonbury Festival is also raising money for the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal with Oxfam. It has currently raised more than £730,000 through its festival crowdfunder.
Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, said the UK public have “excelled” in their support, adding DEC charities continue to rapidly assess the ever-changing situation but they urgently need support to help scale up their response as the situation unfolds.
‘Do not travel to afflicted areas’
Meanwhile, the Muslim Charities Forum posted on social media that it was receiving reports from charities on the ground that many people are trying to reach the region.
“Please do not travel to afflicted areas unless requested to do so in a professional capacity. The environment is still volatile and unsafe,” it said.
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