(NewsNation) — Stuffed animals rained down on a soccer pitch Sunday in Turkey as donations for kids who survived a lethal earthquake within the nation earlier this month.
Followers of Istanbul soccer staff Besiktas threw 1000’s of the mushy toys onto the sector throughout the Turkish Tremendous Lig recreation that was paused after 4 minutes and 17 seconds, representing the primary time the quake struck at 4:17 a.m. native time Feb. 6.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated components of southeastern Turkey and northern Syria and led to greater than 48,000 deaths in each international locations. It additionally resulted within the collapse or critical harm of 185,000 buildings in Turkey.
“Our followers threw scarves, berets and plush toys on the bottom of Vodafone Park to be given as a present to the kids within the earthquake area to cheer them up,” Besiktas stated in a membership assertion.
The staff organized the occasion, known as “This toy is my buddy,” to offer ethical assist for kids affected by the earthquake, BBC reported.
“There are extra vital issues than soccer. We’re going by tough instances as a rustic. Collectively, we’ll heal the injuries,” defender Tayyib Sanuc stated concerning the recreation and toy drive.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged $100 million in assist for Turkey throughout a visit to the nation Feb. 19. Blinken took a helicopter tour of the catastrophe zone.
“That is going to be a long-term effort,” Blinken stated at Incirlik Air Base, a joint U.S.-Turkish facility that has coordinated the distribution of catastrophe assist. “The search and rescue, sadly, is coming to an finish. The restoration is on, after which there will probably be a large rebuilding operation.”
Reuters and The Related Press contributed to this report.
