UAE opens public donation drive for Turkey and Syria earthquake survivors

Donors can channel funds through the government's humanitarian arm, Emirates Red Crescent

The brother of a survivor Gokhan Ugurlu, 35, who was pulled out of the rubble in Hatay, Turkey, reacts as a rescuer looks on. Reuters

A woman walks past flattened buildings in a street in Hatay province, Turkey. Reuters

A member of the army stands amid rubble in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

A man reacts while sitting outside a tent of a temporary accommodation centre set up on a football pitch in Gaziantep, Turkey. Reuters

Earthquake survivors walk on a street in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters

A White Helmets volunteer holds a rescued cat in the rebel-held town of Jandaris, Syria. Reuters

A Syrian boy, who lost his family in the deadly earthquake, stands amid the rubble of his family home in Jindayris. AFP

Rescuers sit by a bonfire in Hatay, Turkey. AFP

A Turkish soldier walks among destroyed buildings in Hatay. AFP

Relatives of Palestinian doctor Yusuf Darabeh, who died when the earthquake hit Turkey, comfort each other. AP Photo

People stand by a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey. AP Photo

A child, injured in the earthquake, is treated at hospital in Bab Al Hawah, Syria. AP Photo

Vehicles containing aid from Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) on the Iraqi side of the Iraq-Syria border. Reuters

Rescuers carry Muhammed Alkanaas, 12, to an ambulance after five days under the rubble in Antakya, Turkey. AP

Romanian firefighters load a Turkey-bound train with emergency aid near Bucharest. AP

Collapsed buildings in Jandaris, Syria. Reuters

Abdulkerim Nano, 67, is rescued after five days under the rubble in in Kahramanmaras, Turkey

A Turkish rescue worker checks a collapsed building in Adiyaman. AP

Rescuers in Adiyaman, Turkey. AP

A resident in front of his collapsed building in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras. AFP

Syrian refugees shelter in a public market in the Islahiye district of Gaziantep, Turkey. AP

A family wait for the bodies of their relatives to be recovered in Antakya, Turkey. AP

A woman plays with a sniffer dog in Antakya, Turkey. AP

Collapsed buildings in Antakya, Turkey. AP

A Syrian woman takes care of her nephew Hasan Goayid, eight, in Islahiye district, Gaziantep. AP

A Syrian child in a tent in the Islahiye district. AP

Collapsed buildings in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras. AFP

Emirati rescuers sift through the rubble of a collapsed building in the regime-controlled town of Jableh, northwest of the Syrian capital. AFP

Volunteers at the Emirates Red Crescent 'Bridges of Goodness' campaign at the South Hall, Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City. Leslie Pableo for The National

Martin Griffiths, UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, in Maras, Turkey. Reuters

Rescuers give water to a dog after a rescue operation in Hatay, southern Turkey. AP

A deadly earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6. EPA

Fissures from the earthquake have crumpled the highway near Islahiyeh in Southern Turkey. Matt Kynaston / The National

A Kurdish charity's aid convoy enters Syria through the Bab Al Salama crossing with Turkey, in the northern province of Aleppo. AFP

A rescuer with a sniffer dog searches in a destroyed building in Antakya, southern Turkey. AFP

A makeshift camp erected in a stadium in the city of Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey. EPA

A woman mourns Turkish Cypriot victims of the earthquake, during a funeral procession in the Turkish occupied area in north-east coastal city of Famagusta, Cyprus. AP

Rescuers carry survivor Rabia Ofkeli, 27, from the rubble in Hatay, southern Turkey. Reuters

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad visits Aleppo university hospital. Reuters

Members of the Swiss rescue team with a four-month-old girl, Abir, who was pulled out from the rubble in Antakya. AFP

Survivors at a hospital in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

Members of the White Helmets during the fifth day of rescue operations in Jandaris, Syria. Reuters

Indonesian Muslims perform a prayer for the victims at Istiqlal grand mosque in Jakarta. EPA

Emergency personnel conduct a rescue operation to save Melda, 16, from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, southern Turkey. AFP

The earthquake caused a railbed overpass to collapse in Nurdagi, Turkey. AFP

A framed picture on the cracked wall of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, south-eastern Turkey. EPA

A coastal area of Iskenderun, Turkey, was flooded after the quake. Reuters

A sheet of paper lies among the rubble in Elbistan. AP

Relief supplies destined for earthquake survivors in Turkey, at a warehouse in Schoenefeld, near Berlin, Germany. AP

Rescuers search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings in Kahramanmaras, three days after the earthquake struck. AFP

Rescuers with a child pulled out from under the rubble. Reuters

Rescuers rest on top of rubble as an aircraft drops water over a fire at the port in the quake-stricken town of Iskenderun. Reuters

A rescue worker in Kahramanmaras, three days after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck south-east Turkey. AFP

People try to pull out a dog trapped beneath the rubble in Iskenderun, Turkey. Reuters

Lorries carrying humanitarian aid wait at Bab Al Hawa crossing on the Turkey-Syria border. Reuters

Syrians warm up by a fire outside a makeshift tent near the rebel-held town of Jindayris in Syria. AFP

A dam on the Orontes river in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province collapsed after the quake, flooding the neighbourhood. AFP

The sails of the Sydney Opera House lit with a black ribbon in remembrance and mourning of the earthquake victims. Getty

Smoke billows amid an expanse of collapsed and damaged buildings in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

Dogs of the German International Search and Rescue team rest between operations in Kirikhan, Turkey. Reuters

White Helmets volunteers rescue a child trapped beneath the rubble in Jandaris, Syria. Reuters

People gather to collect food and humanitarian aid in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras, south-east Turkey. EPA

The statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, is surrounded by damaged buildings in Adiyaman province. AP

A plane carrying humanitarian air sent for earthquake survivors lands in Damascus. Mahmoud Rida / The National

Motorway fractured by earthquake causes car crash near Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Matt Kynaston / The National

A tent camp has been set up at a stadium in south-eastern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras to shelter families whose homes were destroyed in the quake. AFP

A displaced Syrian woman rests under a tree in a field on the outskirts of the rebel-held town of Jindayris. AFP

Follow the latest on the earthquake in Turkey

The UAE has launched a public donation campaign to support survivors of the earthquake that left a trail of destruction in Turkey and Syria.

Members of the public are being invited to provide financial assistance to those in need by using the website of Emirates Red Crescent, the humanitarian arm of the government, as part of the Bridges of Goodness campaign.

People have an option to donate to relief efforts in Syria and Turkey via PayPal, credit card, bank transfer or by text message.

The Emirates Red Crescent donation page is here.

People can also make financial pledges to the cause via the Sharjah Charity International website.

On social media the organisation said it was keen to stand in "solidarity with our brothers in Syria and Turkey who were affected by the earthquakes".

It is the latest step in a major UAE drive to support people caught up in a disaster that has now claimed more than 20,000 lives.

Up to 2,000 people are preparing to provide a helping hand by boxing up essential goods at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre, at Expo City, from 9am until 2pm on Saturday.

It will mark the start of a two-week donation drive in the country.

A call was sent out earlier this week for people to volunteer on Saturday through the volunteers.ae website.

Dubai Cares, a long-standing philanthropic organisation which is part of the campaign, said sufficient numbers of volunteers have already come forward for the Expo event.

The ERC had previously said it and partnering organisations will directly collect donations of cash and goods.

The effort is being supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation and the Ministry of Community Development.

Other organisations involved include the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities in Dubai, the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment.

UAE offers support

Two powerful earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday were followed by dozens of aftershocks.

Survivors whose homes were turned to rubble are facing harsh winter conditions.

A donation drive organised by Turkey's consulate in Dubai to support survivors extended to a third day because of the overwhelming response by the public, officials said.

Members of the public flocked to a collection point in Al Quoz on Tuesday and Wednesday to deliver essential supplies, including food, warm clothing and bedding.

Organisers expressed their thanks to all who have provided assistance to those in need.

A similar collection is being held at the Turkish embassy in Abu Dhabi this week.

Volunteers worked round the clock to pack the goods and prepare them for shipment to Turkey.

The UAE previously announced plans to send seven aid flights to help with search-and-rescue operations in Turkey and Syria.

President Sheikh Mohamed ordered $50 million in aid to be sent to support people in Turkey and the same sum to help those in Syria.

On Monday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, directed humanitarian aid worth Dh50 million ($13.6 million) through the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives to help people in Syria.

Public steps up once more

In September, hundreds of people came together to pack thousands of relief kits and food supplies for people affected by floods in Pakistan.

By the end of the day, 1.2 tonnes of supplies were packed into 30,000 boxes by volunteers in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

As part of the Stand Together community event, children wrote uplifting messages and made drawings. These were placed in the relief boxes to show solidarity with the people of Pakistan and offer hope during the crisis.