Central Java Provincial Government Prepares Aid for Turkey and Syria Earthquake Victims

The impact of the earthquake in Syria. (Twitter/@SyrianACD)

SEMARANG - The Provincial Government (Pemprov) of Central Java is preparing humanitarian assistance for the victims and handling of the earthquake that occurred in Turkey and Syria.

"We have prepared humanitarian assistance, including from Central Java Baznas in the amount of IDR 100 million and there is assistance from private companies, as well as alumni who have studied in Syria," said Deputy Governor of Central Java Taj Yasin Maimoen in Semarang reported by ANTARA, Thursday, February 9.

The Deputy Governor also prayed that the victims of Turkey and Syria would be given fortitude and patience in dealing with this disaster.

"We certainly pray to our friends, our brothers and sisters in Turkey and Syria, that they will be given fortitude and patience," he said.

Based on information from a cleric from Syria, Syekh Taufik Ramadhan Al Buthi, Deputy Governor revealed that currently efforts are still being made to rescue victims because there are still many buildings that have fallen on them.

"Most of the houses of Turkish and Syrian residents are in the form of flats, so that many earthquake victims were buried," he said.

Meanwhile the Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo is coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) regarding the possibility of an Indonesian citizen from Central Java becoming a victim of the earthquake in Turkey.

"We are still coordinating continuously regarding information on whether there are Indonesian citizens from Central Java who were also victims of the earthquake," he said.

Ganjar asked the Central Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) to continue to monitor the latest news and information regarding the handling of earthquakes in Turkey.

Thousands of people were reported killed and tens of thousands injured in 10 provinces in Turkey due to two large earthquakes that rocked the southern region of the country, Monday (6/2).

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit Pazarcik District in Kahramanmaras Province and shook a number of other provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Ormaniye, Hatay and Kilis.