The Arsenal Foundation, in partnership with several Turkish charitable organizations, held a remarkable event on Friday in London, providing much-needed relief to survivors of the devastating earthquake which struck Southeastern Türkiye on Feb. 6.
Generously donating many sleeping bags, tents, clothing, and heaters, this effort significantly contributed to the ongoing relief efforts in Türkiye.
Türkiyes' Consul General in London Bekir Utku Atahan also took part in the delivery of aid materials to the Turkish Airlines Cargo warehouse at Heathrow Airport.
Turkish Cargo will deliver 25 tons of relief materials from the U.K. to Türkiye, including 10,000 thermal blankets donated by the British Foreign Office.
Representatives from organizations such as the Turkish Police Association (Met TPA) and His Church, an emergency goods redistribution charity, also participated.
Atahan said the Arsenal Foundation donated 1,500 sleeping bags.
He expressed gratitude for the British search-and-rescue team that rescued 11 people from the rubble and said over 100 health personnel served in the field hospital established in Kahramanmaraş, the city at the epicenter of the devastating earthquakes that has claimed thousands of lives in southern Türkiye.
Richard Humphrey, operations director of the His Church organization told Anadolu Agency that it is normally focused on providing food and supplies to those who need it most.
But he said the immediate need was sleeping bags in Türkiye and His Church has beds that have been used at festivals in the U.K.
"We are delivering today 1,500 sleeping bags to those who suffer because of this tragic disaster that happened in Türkiye," he said. "We collect them after the festival. We bring them back, we wash them and have them ready for emergencies.”
"When we got the call from Arsenal Foundation and Türkiye’s consul general, we said we have got sleeping bags ready to mobilize and we were now delivering today 1,500 sleeping bags. They go straight to helping those who have suffered because of the tragic disaster that happened in Türkiye. When we all work together, we can make a difference," he said.
Arsenal Community President Freddie Hudson said the Arsenal Football Club and fans in North London were responding to calls for help for victims.
At least 38,044 people were killed by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country's disaster agency said Friday.
The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude quakes were centered in Kahramanmaraş and struck 10 other provinces – Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazığ and Sanliurfa. Over 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.
Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.
