US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced on Sunday in Turkey an additional $100 million in aid to people affected by the earthquake that killed nearly 45,000 people in that country and in neighboring Syria, AFP reports.

Blinken arrived at Incirlik Air Base in southeastern Turkey, near the city of Adana, from Munich, Germany, where he was attending a security conference.

From Incirlik, where approximately 1,500 American soldiers are stationed, some humanitarian aid, including American aid, is being delivered to areas affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck on February 6.

Also from there, Blinken and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, took off aboard a Turkish military helicopter to fly over Hatay province, one of the most affected, Anadolu reported.

Blinken’s official schedule states that after the flight, he will meet in Incirlik with relatives of Turkish soldiers affected by the strong earthquake, with American rescue teams and with members of the Syrian humanitarian organization “White Helmets”, reports EFE.

The earthquake is the most serious disaster to hit Turkey today, with the latest figures claiming 40,689 lives in that country alone.

“When you look at the extent of the damage, the number of buildings, apartments and houses destroyed, it’s going to take a huge effort to rebuild, and we’re committed to supporting that,” Blinken said.

“We are adding $100 million to help those in dire need,” he added.

The State Department said in a statement that President Joe Biden will approve $50 million for the Emergency Refugee and Migrant Assistance Fund (ERMA). The remaining $50 million will be provided through the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

According to a press release quoted by EFE, this aid is intended for the population affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and will be available to support international and non-governmental organizations. It will be used to deliver blankets, mattresses, food, warm clothes and tents, among other things.

On Sunday afternoon, the Turkish authorities announced the end of the search, except for two provinces where the chances of finding survivors remain small: Karhamanmaras, where the epicenter was located, and Hatay, where the head of American diplomacy was able to see the scale of the earthquake. catastrophe.

The day after the earthquake, the United States sent additional search and rescue teams, about 200 people, to Turkey and provided the first tranche of $85 million in humanitarian aid.

They also provided Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters to transfer supplies.

The United Nations appealed for international aid to raise one billion dollars for Turkey.

Blinken is due to leave for Ankara in the evening, where he will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.

This is the first visit of the US Secretary of State to Turkey since he took office two years ago. This visit was planned before the February 6 earthquake disrupted the schedule.

Relations between the two countries, which are NATO allies, are sometimes uneasy.

However, the United States admits that its ally played a constructive role in the war in Ukraine.

Among the controversies are the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets promised by President Joe Biden to Turkey but blocked by opposition in Congress; and Turkey’s blocking of Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO.

After Turkey, Blinken will wrap up his European tour in Athens, where he will hold a series of meetings Monday night and Tuesday with the government of Turkey’s historic rival and NATO partner.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday that the earthquake “could be an opportunity” to re-examine the still turbulent relationship between Athens and Ankara.

Greece was one of the first European countries to send rescue teams to the earthquake area.