Thousands have been killed and tens of thousands injured after a powerful earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria on Monday. The magnitude 7.8 quake was one of the strongest to strike the area in more than a century. Rescue workers are digging through debris in freezing conditions, while the death toll is on the rise.
With the immense destruction that the earthquake left in its path, many have sought ways to gather sums to lessen their countries’ misfortune as much as possible.
Defending Turkish Super Lig champion Trabzonspor has announced at a press conference that the ticket earnings from the upcoming UEFA Europa Conference League match with Basel will range between $5 and $40, the proceeds of which will be donated to relief efforts.
Thursday’s Trabzonspor vs. Basel clash will be held at 17:45 GMT at the Senol Gunes Sports Complex.
Others have also sought out different ways to help. For instance, legendary Kosovo-born veteran in Galatasaray, Cevad Prekazi, put out his autographed jersey up for auction, which sold for 210,000 Turkish liras, the equivalent of a little over 11 thousand dollars.
Merih Demiral, Atalanta’s defender also auctioned off some autographed shirts and gloves to benefit the Turkish aid organization Ahbap after the two massive earthquakes in southern Turkey that left over 30 thousand people dead.
Demiral will also auction not just anyone’s set of gloves, but Italian football giant Buffon’s gloves, ensuring that the maximum number of donations is received.
He continues to thank those who have contributed in donating a sum, noting that the total donations to the earthquake zone had reached 7.5 million Turkish liras, or almost $400,000.
Sports world mourns losses
There were also some international and Turkish players who lost their lives as they were present in the region at the time of the tremors.
TFF First League club Yeni Malatyaspor’s goalkeeper Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan and Women’s Basketball Super League’s Cankaya University player Nilay Aydogan died after the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude quakes hit.
Moreover, second-tier Kahramanmaras Istiklal Spor footballers Burhanettin Sever, Taner Kahriman, Hakan Dogan, and Saruhan Bolat also died.
The quake didn’t just take the lives of footballers, rescuers have also found volleyball players’ dead bodies under the rubble.
Married couple Betul Coban Cakir and Bedrettin Cakir, as well as their fellow volleyball players Mehmet Can Agirbas, Murat Cilogullari, Umitcan Dogan, Azat Jumayev, and Sevgi Cihangir, were found dead when the disaster happened.
Some fates remain unknown at this moment, as Turkish Super Lig Atakas Hatayspor’s Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu and sporting director Taner Savut’s whereabouts are still unknown. Both were in the affected areas when the quakes struck.
Following the deadliest natural disaster to hit the region this century, more than 166,000 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, according to Turkey’s Disaster Authority (AFAD), which added that over 90,000 people have been evacuated from quake-hit regions so far
Source: National News Agency