The death toll tragically keeps rising and more than 25,000 have now died following the earthquakes in southern Turkey and northern Syria.
But without medical attention, shelter, water, fuel or electricity, the World Health Organisation fears many survivors could yet lose their lives.
In response to the crisis, British charities have launched appeals to raise funds for people affected, including SKT Welfare in Yorkshire.
A video call between the SKT Welfare’s CEO, Asif Hussain, and Dr Nafeah El-Zahra who is treating the wounded at the hospital
GB News
To provide humanitarian aid, staff are working tirelessly to raise funds for vital medication, medical equipment, and supplies at the SKT Welfare hospital in Al Huda, Syria, where earthquake survivors like Abdul are being treated.
He is one of thousands pulled out of the rubble in Syria. At just 18 months old, Abdul has lost his mum, dad and four siblings to the deadly earthquakes.
In a video call between the SKT Welfare’s CEO, Asif Hussain, and Dr Nafeah El-Zahra who is treating the wounded at the hospital, we can see Abdul’s broken bones and bruised body and can hear his cries of pain.
Dr Nafeah El-Zahra holds the toddler’s hand and says: “Here is a baby Abdul, he came to our hospital with multi trauma. He suffered with head fractures, and oedema, multiple wounds and a fracture in his left arm.
“This baby lost all his parents, and his brothers and his sisters, he became alone. We hope that you help us to help him, and to help other people.”
At the same time as caring for the injured, Dr Nafeah El-Zahra also worries about the safety and health of her loved ones.
She tells Asif: “It’s very bad. It’s very scary. I can’t describe the feeling. I’m very afraid for my husband, and my brother, my parents, my children, my small baby. I bless Allah to protect us.
“I have a very bad feeling, I feel like that is the end.”
SKT Welfare provides food, water and healthcare to those affected by conflict, poverty and natural disasters and establish sustainable development projects in some of the world's poorest communities.
The charity’s CEO Asif Hussain told GB News that the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria are amongst the worst natural disasters that SKT Welfare have helped to provide aid for.
“We’ve had so many, so many children come in [to their Al Huda hospital in Syria] – three, four, five, six-year-old children coming in, without their parents being brought in, being treated and then being looked after also,” said Asif.
“Our team is highly trained in this – we’ve been in Syria since 2011.
“Our hospital is centrally located and it’s the only hospital within that whole area, so it’s about 40km away to the other nearest hospital, so our doctors have been working around the clock saving lives.
“There are queues at the x-ray machines and the MRIs as a lot of these [from the earthquakes] are crush injuries so they need to see the extent of the injury before it can be treated.
Abdul cries in pain after the earthquake left him bruised and with broken bones
SKT
“Even now many people, many days on [from when the earthquakes first hit] are waiting to be treated.
“There’s a serious lack of funds for us to be able to buy that medical aid in – we have the access and links to buy medical equipment, what we need are the funds to be able to do that.”
Rescuers in Turkey and Syria are continuing their painstaking work, but hopes are fading for the many still trapped under the rubble.
For those that have survived, SKT Welfare is also raising money to provide food, shelter and fuel for those that have lost their homes and possessions.
Marcus Grundy, Customer Service Advisor at the charity, told GB News that the British public have been generous with their donations towards the cause.
He said: “The phones are ringing more than usual and the majority of donations coming forward are for the emergency appeal, so it’s good to see.
More than 25,000 have died in the earthquake so far
KHALIL ASHAWI
“It’s a 100 percent donation policy at SKT, so every single penny we get, goes to that cause.
“It goes to the hospital, it goes to the shelter, it goes to the food, the fuel to run the generators. Everything that we get goes to them.
“We’ve had a good response and hopefully that continues because they are in need.”
It has been distressing for the team to see first-hand the level of devastation that the earthquakes have caused.
Firoza Darwan is a Customer Service Advisor at SKT Welfare and told GB News: “It’s very heart-breaking and daily we are working with the team that are on the ground [in Turkey and Syria] and speak to them regularly and get information from them.
“First of all we were very worried about their wellbeing, on top of that the people living there that we’re supporting and it’s just sad to see children being pulled from the rubble.
“I’ve got two children of my own and it’s really sad knowing that if it happened to them, how would I feel?”
As more earthquake casualties emerge, staff at SKT Welfare continue to fundraise to help those in need.
To donate to the cause, click here
