Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

A series of powerful earthquakes have devastated southern Türkiye (formerly Turkey) and northern Syria. Thousands of buildings have collapsed leaving people homeless in the middle of a bitter winter.

ShelterBox is responding. Please donate today to provide emergency shelter for families affected by the earthquakes and other disasters around the world.

What has happened in Turkey and Syria?


Powerful earthquakes have ravaged southern Türkiye (formerly Turkey) and northern Syria, killing more than 50,000 people and damaging 66,000 buildings.

Homes have been destroyed or left unsafe and people have been sleeping in the open. The freezing temperatures create an immediate risk to life for people who are too afraid to return home or have no home to go back to.

In northwest Syria many buildings were already damaged by years of civil war, and that’s where some of the worst damage has been reported.

With 3 million people already displaced by the war, Syria is at breaking point. Families are facing harsh living conditions, freezing temperatures and diseases like cholera. They have faced the destruction of war, only to be hit again by these events.

Impact of the Turkey and Syria earthquakes if it were in the UK
This map shows the impact of the earthquakes if they had happened in the UK. Source: British Red Cross.

Our emergency response teams are in Gaziantep, one of many cities in Türkiye left devastated by the earthquakes.

Getting aid into Türkiye and Syria is complicated and it can be time-consuming. But we are used to working in challenging environments and we are determined to overcome every hurdle. We will work with local authorities, partners, and Rotary, to make sure people affected by the earthquakes get the aid they need.

Please donate today. Your support will provide emergency shelter for families affected by disasters around the world.

Donate now

Your questions answered

Open all

Image at top: RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images

Disasters don't stop

Right now we’re working to support communities in Türkiye,  Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Somalia and Mozambique.

Your support helps us go even further.