Turkish Embassy in Singapore seeking donations including winter clothes, canned food for earthquake victims

Update: The Turkish Embassy has requested for in-kind donations to be directed to 10 Genting Lane, #06-00, Singapore 349583. Donations must be new or unused materials, and clothings must be suitable for winter conditions. All packages must be clearly marked to reflect the content and its quantity. The cut-off date for collection of donations is Feb 10.

The Turkish Embassy in Singapore is seeking donations for 16 types of items including winter clothing and supplies for those affected by the earthquake in Türkiye.

This comes after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake had hit both Türkiye and Syria on Monday (Feb 6). The embassy made the request for donations on social media the following day.

According to Reuters on Thursday (Feb 9), Türkiye President Tayyip Erdogan reported the combined death toll from both countries has risen past 12,000.

Volunteers can send their donations to the Turkish Embassy in Singapore through mail or in-person drop off at 2 Shenton Way, SGX Centre 1 #10-03 Singapore 068804.

The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) also launched a public fundraising appeal to support relief and recovery operations in Türkiye and Syria, it announced on Wednesday.

According to its website, it pledged US$100,000 (S$132,600) in humanitarian aid on Tuesday (Feb 7) to its counterparts, the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC).

Those willing to donate have multiple options through the Red Cross website, including PayNow and Fund Transfer. In-person donations can also be made at the SRC office.

SRC also activated its Restoring Family Links (RFL) service to assist Singapore residents to locate their immediate family members who may have been affected by the disaster whom they have difficulty contacting. They can email SRC for assistance.

On Wednesday (Feb 8), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) sent a 20-man advance team, including one NSF doctor, from the Operation Lionheart contingent to Adana, Türkiye, to assist with rescue efforts.

SCDF updated that the advance team, alongside their foreign counterparts – a local rescue team and rescue team from Spain – rescued a boy found in a collapsed three storey building.

Operation Lionheart comprises a 79-member contingent always on standby, with the core function of providing urban search and rescue and/or humanitarian relief assistance to countries afflicted by major disasters.

The contingent comprises rescuers from the SCDF’s elite Disaster Assistance & Rescue Team (DART) and from frontline units including Operationally Ready National Service (ORNS) men.

It was first formed in 1990 and has provided assistance in 20 missions thus far, including the flood in New South Wales, Australia, in Nov 2022 and the Japan earthquake and tsunami in Mar 2011.