Indonesian Red Cross Ready to Send Aid to Turkey Following Major Quake

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian Red Cross announced that it is ready to send aid to Turkey, after the country bore the brunt of a 7 Richter scale earthquake that struck the Aegean Sea on Friday, October 30.

Indonesian Red Cross Chairman Jusuf Kalla conveyed his condolences to the Turkish people over the loss of life and devastation in the wake of the disaster, which struck Turkey’s Izmir Province on its Aegean coast, as well as the Greek island of Samos.

“[The Indonesian Red Cross] is ready to send volunteers [to Turkey] to evacuate [victims] if they are needed,” the former vice president said in a briefing to Red Cross Covid-19 medical workers in Denpasar, Bali on October 31.

Also read: Former Indonesian VP Jusuf Kalla Continues Global Humanitarian Work

“After all, Turkey was one of the countries which sent aid to Aceh when it was stricken by an earthquake and tsunami in 2004.”

On its part, the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara is still trying to determine if the earthquake affected Indonesian casualties in the stricken areas.

“To date, we have yet to receive reports of Indonesian casualties in the earthquake,” said the Embassy’s Indonesian Citizens Protection Task Force chief Harliyanto.

Also read: Bali to Host UN Event on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2022

“[The embassy] continues to stay in touch with [Turkish] authorities and Indonesian citizens [in Izmir Province].”

The embassy said there are 98 Indonesian citizens who live in the city of Izmir and the surrounding areas. They are among the 5,000 Indonesian nationals living in Turkey. More than half or 2,700 of them are students, while 1,500 work in Turkish baths.

According to the AP news agency, the earthquake killed at least 28 people and injured 831 others in Izmir and the Greek island of Samos across the Aegean. The tremors also caused a small tsunami. 

(Writers: Dian Erika Nugraheny, Ardito Ramadhan | Editors: Irfan Maullana, Egidius Patnistik)

Sources:

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/10/31/13481581/sampaikan-belasungkawa-jk-pmi-siap-kirim-relawan-untuk-gempa-turki. 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/10/31/08015311/gempa-di-turki-kbri-sebut-tak-ada-wni-jadi-korban.