In a fundraising telethon aimed at aiding people affected by Turkey’s catastrophic earthquakes, Turkish businessman Hamit Duras unintentionally announced a gift amount that did not reflect the actual figure. The incident began as a slip of the tongue on live television, where what was thought to be a donation of more than 50 million lira rapidly circulated as an extraordinary sum of over 2.6 billion dollars. The subsequent clarification later that day indicated that the number had been a temporary misstatement of 50,000 lira, a discrepancy tied to a devaluation mistake rather than an intentional pledge. Local news agency DHA documented the confusion and the actor in question later commented that the erroneous figure came from an earlier, higher amount that was no longer valid after the devaluation and that no correction was offered by the host during the broadcast.
The telethon, a broad media event mobilized across Turkey, involved more than two hundred television channels and five hundred and fifty radio stations. It was organized to deliver rapid relief to victims of the earthquake sequence that devastated parts of the country. The total amount raised through the broadcast surpassed 115 billion Turkish lira, equivalent to roughly six billion dollars, according to the reporting by DHA. This public fundraising effort highlighted the urgency and scale of the disaster response, drawing attention to how media platforms can coordinate large community-driven relief campaigns even as human errors and miscommunications surface in real time.
On February 6, a powerful cluster of earthquakes struck Turkey, followed by a substantial number of aftershocks, totaling 1,891 in the immediate aftermath. The Turkish Government’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, known as AFAD, provided ongoing updates about the seismic activity and the resulting humanitarian needs. International observers noted that the catastrophe, affecting both Turkey and neighboring Syria, marked one of the most severe natural disasters in the European region in recent memory. Statements from European health authorities, including Hans Kluge, head of the World Health Organization Office for Europe, emphasized the unprecedented scale and the comparative impact of these events within the past century. The coordination between national emergency services and international health bodies underscored the complexity of delivering rapid medical care, shelter, food, and logistical support to affected communities during a time of intense aftershocks and ongoing danger.