Four Australians are missing following the devastating earthquake in Turkey as the federal government sends a search and rescue team to assist recovery efforts.
The foreign affairs department is providing consular assistance to the families of the missing as well as about 40 other Australians who were in the earthquake-hit region.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a team of 72 Australian personnel would be on the ground by the end of the week to help local authorities in rescue and recovery efforts.
“These urban search and rescue specialists are highly trained to locate, deliver medical assistance to and remove victims who have been trapped or impacted by a structural collapse,” he said.
“Our hearts are heavy. It is impossible to look away from the terrible and heartbreaking scenes of loss.”
Australia will also provide $10 million in humanitarian assistance to help with response efforts.
The death toll from Monday’s earthquake in Turkey and Syria has risen to nearly 8000.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said everyone would back Australia in providing whatever help it could.
“We’ve all seen the scenes of devastation and heard the stories of human tragedy,” she said.
The aid comes as buildings in major Australian cities are lit up in solidarity with those affected by the earthquake.
The sails of the Sydney Opera House will be lit up on Thursday, while buildings in Melbourne will be illuminated on Friday.
In the Melbourne suburb of Campbellfield, volunteer Konur Alp Ozal was among hundreds of people who banded together to pack and ship donations for earthquake victims.
Huge piles of donated blankets, bedding and clothing were sent to Sultan Halal Meats and Poultry after owners Necmy and Necmiye Kul put a call out on social media.
Ozal, who lost relatives in the earthquake, said the public response had been overwhelming.
“We found out this morning actually that my dad’s three cousins in Hatay were found deceased in the rubble,” he told AAP.
“It’s hard because you want to go there and help, but you can’t, obviously, so this is what we can do. We’re just trying to do anything we can to help.”
Volunteer Nilufer Kurtuldu said many people felt helpless, but people were coming together in Australia to help as they could.
“I just spoke to someone who has friends stuck in the rubble, and they can’t get a hold of them, so they feel helpless, so I said, ‘Well, get down here—at least that way you feel like you can contribute on a community level’,” he said.
Mr and Mrs Kul initially planned to ship a few donated goods to Turkey in a container, but after sharing the idea on social media and tagging a few friends, their post went viral.
“I’m so overwhelmed with the community response, and it’s not just the Turkish community; it’s everyone,” Mrs Kul said.
Many Australians with ties to the region are glued to their televisions and feel helpless watching recovery efforts unfold from the other side of the world.
The Brisbane Turkish Islamic Society is collecting donations to go towards medical supplies, food and blankets, but board member Sadullah Karatas said some people wished they could do more.
“These are essentially our brothers and sisters who are left under this rubble, and because we’re not there, we almost feel desperate,” he said.
“We wish we could just go and physically take the rubble out ourselves.”
