Celebrities, including actors, musicians and TV personalities expressed solidarity with the Turkish people and called on everyone to support relief efforts following two major earthquakes which devastated 10 Turkish provinces and parts of Syria.
In a message on Twitter, actor Antonio Banderas sent a “solidarity hug” to Turkish and Syrian people. “A solidarity hug to the Turkish and Syrian people. All the encouragement for them because of the tragedy that has struck them over the last few hours,” he said.
Brazilian author Paulo Coelho shared details of the Turkish Red Crescent, as he urged people to make donations for earthquake victims.
World-famous TV presenter and actor Ellen DeGeneres also appealed for help. “Türkiye and Syria need our help. Thousands of people have been killed and more are still trapped in the wreckage. If you can support the relief effort, I hope you will,” she said on Instagram.
Others who expressed solidarity include U.S. singer Della Miles, Bosnian-Australian actor Reshad Strik, Gene Simmons, the bassist and co-lead singer of "Kiss," Dutch singer Simone Simons, and Finnish singer Tarja Turunen.
At least 5,400 people were killed, and 31,000 others were injured following two massive earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş province on Monday. Gaziantep, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Malatya, Şanlıurfa, Adana, Diyarbakır and Kilis provinces were seriously affected by the disaster, as search and rescue teams continue to remove people from the rubble. The quakes also caused significant damage in neighboring Syria's opposition-held areas.
