Syria has made its first appeal for aid to the European Union, two days after a devastating earthquake killed more than 11,000 people in the country and neighboring Turkey, the European Commission announced on Wednesday, AFP reported.

The EU said it would provide additional emergency support to the two countries and 6.5 million euros ($7 million) in emergency humanitarian aid for one of the largest search and rescue operations in history through its civil protection mechanism.

“We received a request from the Syrian government for assistance through the civil protection mechanism,” said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic.

Lenarcic told reporters that EU member states are encouraged to provide assistance as requested.

An EU official said the 27-member bloc would need sufficient safeguards to ensure that aid actually reaches those who need it and that any future EU aid does not go unchecked.

A country can request assistance through the EU mechanism if the scale of an emergency or disaster exceeds its response capacity.

Once activated, the EU Emergency Response Coordination Center coordinates and finances aid provided by EU Member States and eight other participating countries.

Tomorrow Lenarcic will visit the affected regions of Turkey.