The World Bank announced tonight that it will provide $1.78 billion in aid to Turkey. following a devastating earthquake that killed at least 20,000 people in that country and neighboring Syria.

This assistance will finance rescue operations at the first stage. But the goal is to cover the needs in terms of renovation.

“We are providing immediate assistance and will quickly assess urgent needs on the ground. This will allow us to identify priority areas for recovery and reconstruction while we prepare actions to address those needs,” PT Chairman David Malpas said in a statement.

OUR World Health Organization fears that the earthquake will be followed by a major health crisis which will cause even more problems. In particular, humanitarian organizations fear an epidemic of cholera, a disease that has recently re-emerged in Syria.

OUR European Union immediately sent aid to Turkey hours after Monday’s quake, but initially offered little support for Syria through existing humanitarian programs due to international sanctions imposed on Damascus since the civil war broke out in 2011. On Wednesday, Syria formally requested assistance from the EU, and the Commission urged member states to respond positively to the request.

Source: APE-MPE-AFP.