GOAL, the Irish international aid agency, is in a state of shock and grieving after losing 27 of its workers in the earthquakes that shattered much of southern Turkey and northern Syria at the beginning of last week.
Said a statement from the GOAL's New York office Thursday evening: "This evening, GOAL, the Irish-based international humanitarian organization, confirmed that as of today, 26 colleagues have tragically lost their lives in the violent earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria on Monday February 6.
On Friday, February 10, the loss of a 27th GOAL worker was confirmed.
"GOAL is one of the largest NGOs in Southern Türkiye and Northwest Syria, with 950 staff reaching more than 1.5 million people in Syria alone. Teams are still working around the clock to account for several staff still listed as missing, while also supporting the overall search and rescue mission.
"Accounting for the safety of every member of staff has been the utmost priority since Monday. But this has presented significant challenges given the immediate movement of staff to find shelter and safety following the earthquake, the loss of electricity and power for telecommunications, damaged and completely unpassable roads, and the absolute destruction and desolation across the vast region."
The extent of that devastation is still unfolding.
“To say it has been a profoundly difficult week for the GOAL Teams in Türkiye and Syria cannot be overstated. Because of the sheer geography of destruction, and GOAL’s long-term presence in the communities so severely impacted, the scale of loss is far beyond anything we could have ever imagined,” said GOAL CEO, Siobhan Walsh.
Added the statement: "GOAL staff across the region have also lost family members, sustained life-altering injuries, and lost their homes. Meanwhile, as part of GOAL’s humanitarian response to support communities most affected by the earthquake, teams in Türkiye and Syria have mobilized responses to assess needs on the ground, while prioritizing the immediate restarting of key humanitarian aid programs that deliver shelter, access to food, clean water and health and social support.
"GOAL’s global team of 3,500 personnel across 14 countries are today united as one as they support their heartbroken colleagues in Türkiye and Syria. Never in the organization’s history has GOAL experienced the loss of colleagues on such a scale."
The aid agency said it would continue to provide updates as the situation on the ground in its existing locations of operation becomes clearer.
