The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Monday announced the start of construction on a field hospital that will provide assistance to Türkiye and Syria's quake victims, ramping up efforts to help the catastrophe-hit countries.
"We at USAID are ramping up the delivery of humanitarian assistance to get the people of Türkiye and Syria the help they desperately need, and help to quickly recover,” Sarah Charles, who leads the agency’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, told reporters on a conference call.
"As you can imagine medical needs following the earthquakes are immense.”
Besides working to support hospitals and other healthcare facilities in Türkiye and Syria, USAID said it and the Pentagon broke ground on Sunday on a field hospital in Türkiye’s Hatay province, which will have 100 beds and surgical and intensive care units.
Once completed, it will be operated by the Turkish Health Ministry, said Charles.
The devastating Feb. 6 twin earthquakes have claimed over 44,300 lives in Türkiye’s southern region.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in the Kahramanmaraş province, affected over 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazığ and Şanlıurfa.
Over 10,200 aftershocks have been reported, including a magnitude 5.6 earthquake that jolted Malatya on Monday, killing at least one person and injuring 110 others.
The quakes also caused widespread devastation in parts of northwestern Syria, where the death toll has climbed to at least 5,840.
USAID has so far sent 10 planes with relief supplies for those whose homes were destroyed or damaged. In total, more than 1.8 million pounds of supplies have been delivered, including high thermal blankets, materials for temporary shelters, and basic home goods.
