Novartis ( NYSE: NVS ) is committing $1M and Bayer ( OTCPK:BAYZF ) ( OTCPK:BAYRY ) has vowed to provide ~€1.5M in financial assistance, separately, to support relief efforts in Turkey and Syria which were hit by three massive earthquakes on Feb. 6.
Bayer said it has released immediate emergency funding of €1.5M to support the people in the affected regions.
This will include, €500K to be donated to the Turkish humanitarian organization Ahbap and €500K to Kizilay (Red Crescent in Türkiye). The company will donate 200K to the German Red Cross for disaster response in Syria.
The German conglomerate also launched an employee donation campaign with the German Red Cross and will match the funds donated by employees up to €300K.
Bayer noted that it is also preparing product donations — vital medicines and agricultural products — based on an assessment of urgent needs.
Separately, Novartis said it was committing to donate $1M and was working to identify the best partners to make sure this support gets to those most in need. The Swiss pharma giant noted that So far, all its associates, about 1600, in the affected area have been reported as safe.
On Monday, three earthquakes of 7.8, 7.6 and 6.0 hit Turkey's southern regions casing destruction in the country and neighbor Syria.
According to reports, the death toll has reached over 9600 and rescue workers are facing logistics hurdles of trucks and fuel, while time is running short to find survivors.
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Novartis, Bayer commit financial aid to quake hit Turkey, Syria as rescue operations continue