Within hours of the quake, the volunteers for the foundation rushed to earthquake-hit areas to join search and rescue efforts as well as to help earthquake-affected people.

They assisted in the search for people trapped in the rubble, organized hospital transport, and provided first aid to the injured. They distributed food and aid supplies and provided temporary accommodation to those who have lost their homes.

Speaking to Ilke News Agency, Mustafa Özaslan, the head of Gaziantep Hope Caravan, said: “From the first day of the earthquake, as Hope Caravan Foundation, we have been on the field. We distributed blankets, heaters, and food items to our brothers and sisters affected by the earthquake. We immediately set up a mobile kitchen to serve hot meals to people. There was a serious shortage of bread in the region. We made deals with a few bakeries to produce bread.  With the support of philanthropists, we distributed bread for 3-4 days. We are currently distributing hot soup to around 10,000 earthquake-affected people every day.”

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria in the early hours of the morning on February 6.

There were at least 31,643 deaths and 80,278 injured across the ten most affected provinces in Turkey, including some casualties also in adjacent Elazığ and Batman provinces.

At least 13.5 million people and 4 million buildings have been affected. Thousands were trapped under rubble when buildings collapsed. (ILKHA)