UAE pledges additional $50 million in quake aid to Syria

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday pledged an additional $50 million in assistance to quake-hit Syria, the official WAM news agency said, bringing the total value of pledges to more than $100 million.

The announcement came more than nine days after the 7.8-magnitude quake struck Syria and Turkey, killing nearly 40,000 people.

It also followed an appeal by the United Nations on Tuesday for $397 million to help earthquake victims in the war-scarred country, where the disaster has left millions in desperate need of aid.

Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan "has ordered the provision of an additional US$50 million as relief aid for quake-affected people in Syria", WAM said.

Of the total sum, $20 million would be allocated to "humanitarian projects in response to the emergency appeal of the United Nations (UN)", the news agency added.

The oil-rich Gulf nation that normalised relations with President Bashar al-Assad's government in 2018 has led Syria's quake response.

Last week, the country's president pledged $50 million to Syria, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum promised assistance worth $13.6 million.

The UAE has sent 38 planes to Syria carrying more than 1,200 tonnes of food and medical aid, in addition to nearly 2,900 tents, according to WAM.

It also dispatched a 42-member search and rescue team to the coastal Syrian city of Jableh, located in Latakia, a province under government control.

The assistance is the largest by a single nation to the war-torn country that was already grappling with a spiralling economic crunch and a deep humanitarian crisis even before the quake hit.

Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan was in Syria at the weekend during which he met with Assad as well as the UAE's search and rescue team.

His visit was the first by a senior Gulf official to Syria since the quake.