Magen David Adom UK flight leaves for Turkey with aid for earthquake victims

A specially-chartered cargo flight containing more than £350,000 worth of vital supplies took off from the UK for Turkey on Tuesday morning to help the victims of the deadly earthquake that has left at least 33,000 people dead. 

Magen David Adom UK partnered with Virgin Atlantic, which operated the special cargo destined for Adana in southern Turkey, a city some 115 miles from the epicentre of the earthquake, in Gaziantep province.

The cargo included 58 pallets of clothing and other essential aid, as well as 31,000 coats and blankets and 990kg of infant milk powder. It’s estimated that tens of millions of people have been affected by the earthquake in Turkey.

H.E. Ümit Yalçın, Ambassador of Türkiye in London said: “I would like to convey my sincere gratitude for the efforts of Magen David Adom-UK in providing relief assistance to those in need in the aftermath of the earthquakes in Türkiye. I would like to thank them for their solidarity in this time of need.”

Daniel Burger, CEO of Magen David Adom UK, said that although the UK public has made a “heartfelt and generous response” to those affected by the Turkey-Syria earthquake, it is “vital those donations turn into aid as quickly as possible to help those in need.”

“The response by all the charities involved to turn around such a huge aid operation so quickly has been an incredible effort and we’d like to thank all those involved for making this happen,” Burger added.

Shai Weiss, CEO at Virgin Atlantic, said it was “pleased” to once gain partner with MDA UK.

“We are doing all we can to support the relief effort. Virgin Atlantic and its partners are united in the belief that business can be a force for good and we’ll continue to stand ready should further opportunities arise,” Weiss said.

The emergency aid to Turkey is a joint effort by MDA and crisis response charity Goods for Good, medicines and essentials supplier Durbin and Virgin Atlantic, who have donated the flight.

The corporation also worked with disaster response and logistics non-profit Airlink, which coordinates and transports aid for 150 NGOs and charities. Airlink’s partner, SEKO logistics, which provides trucking services, is also part of the effort.

“We are overwhelmed by the UK industry’s response to the devastating earthquake. Since we announced our support, we have been inundated with offers of goods, logistics and storage. As a humanitarian aid charity, we depend on the goodwill and collaboration of the UK corporates and the community to provide our emergency response in these human catastrophes,” Goods for Good CEO Rosalind Bluestone said.

“And whilst we’re incredibly grateful for the support – more is still needed. This is still a life-or-death situation and we’re urging the corporate community and potential partners to assist in any way they can to help us source more goods, help with logistics and fund this emergency effort,” Bluestone said.