A network of some 20 humanitarian aid organizations in Germany has announced that €78 million in aid has been sent to Turkey and Syria following earthquakes that struck Turkey on Feb. 6, Deutsche Welle’s Turkish service (DW Türkçe) reported on Monday.
Organization spokesperson Aktion Deutschland Hilft told German Press Agency newspapers that €17.9 million in donations were collected between Feb. 6 and 13, DW Türkçe said.
Although donations have significantly decreased in recent weeks, millions of euros are still coming in, according to the spokesperson. They also noted that aid tends to decrease as time goes on in all disaster situations, attributing the decrease to a reduction in news coverage and donation appeals as well as donors giving only once.
According to a statement released by Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu over the weekend, the earthquakes of Feb. 6 claimed the lives of 50,783 people. Soylu also said 7,302 of those who died were migrants.
The aid sent by Aktion Deutschland Hilft will help those affected by the earthquakes, but it remains to be seen how much more assistance will be needed to rebuild the affected areas.