Istanbul: Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s jersey is being auctioned for the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria that have killed thousands of people. Turkish national team member and former Juventus star Merih Demiral is auctioning the superstar’s jersey. The jersey worn by Cristiano while at Juventus has the player’s signature. Demiral said he contacted Cristiano directly before putting the jersey up for auction and explained the situation in Turkey and Syria.
The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has exceeded 11,200. Official figures show that 8,574 people died in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria. Many people are still trapped in the rubble.
The rescue operation is continuing for the third day since the accident. The reason for the high death toll is that many people were asleep during the earthquake. Reports are that heavy snow and rain are adversely affecting the rescue operation. A three-month state of emergency has been declared in Turkey’s earthquake-hit provinces. Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the disaster-affected areas.
More than 12,000 buildings collapsed in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake. The World Health Organization has warned that prolonging the rescue operation will increase the impact of the disaster. The World Health Organization has estimated that the disaster will affect 20 million people.
The Syrian Aid Agency has appealed to Western countries to lift economic sanctions and provide aid. People from various countries, including India, have started reaching the disaster-affected areas for rescue operations.