Whittlesea locals are coming together to show their support to those in Türkiye and Syria after an earthquake, which struck at 4.17am local time (9.17am AWST) on Monday, February 6 and tragically killed thousands.
Approximately 3700 people have died, and thousands more have been left injured and homeless.
Northern Cyprus Turkish Group president Necmiye Ayhan said the group was going to have a meeting tomorrow to discuss how they could send help to those affected by the tragedy.
“We are thinking about what we can do… at this stage we think money is all the help we can do,” she said.
“There are plenty of Cyprus and Turkish people in the area and we do have to support each other.”
Ms Ayhan said she found out about the news when she was on a group bus trip.
“We heard about it yesterday when we were on the bus,” she said.
“It’s shocking, it’s a big one… we didn’t think it could do that much damage.”
Whittlesea council issued a statement on Twitter this afternoon.
“On behalf of the City of Whittlesea, we extend our deepest condolences to the people of Türkiye and Syria following the devastation of Monday’s earthquakes,” the statement said.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected, especially the families of those who have sadly lost their lives.
“We know many people in the City of Whittlesea will have family and friends in the impacted region and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”
