MAN Truck & Bus is donating one million euros as emergency aid for the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
MAN Starts Collection Campaign for Earthquake Victims
Some of the money would be used directly for material goods and their transport with buses, trucks and vans, but it would also go to major aid organisations that are providing humanitarian aid in the disaster region. MAN‘s donation also includes five fire engines for use in the earthquake zone.
The commercial vehicle manufacturer is making this donation in addition to the aid provided by the Volkswagen Group, which is also donating one million euros on behalf of its brands for emergency aid in Turkey and Syria.
“MAN has been closely associated with Turkey for many decades through its Ankara site. When it was founded in the 1960s, the plant in Ankara was our first production site outside Germany,” said MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp.
Together with Chief Production Officer Michael Kobriger, he visited the Ankara plant to observe the situation for himself and consequently discussed possible support activities with the team in Turkey. He expressed his deepest compassion to all the victims of the terrible earthquake.
According to current knowledge, MAN employees are not directly affected by the earthquake but numerous relatives and friends from the earthquake regions are.
Specifically, employees in Turkey started a collection campaign for the earthquake victims on the day of the disaster and the first transport set off the following morning loaded with winter clothing, blankets, shoes, hygiene items, food and water. MAN Turkey also sent numerous vehicles that brought several hundred relatives of MAN employees from the earthquake area to Ankara. Other people who wanted to leave the region were also being transported.
In cooperation with the Turkish Civil Protection, MAN started a collection campaign for donations and in a very short time, a large number of relief goods were collected and transported on a MAN truck. Another vehicle was used to bring food to a village that was particularly badly affected. Cash donations collected by MAN employees in Ankara on their own initiative meanwhile were handed over to the aid organisation AHBAP.
MAN‘s Turkish sales company, which is also based in Ankara, transported relief supplies to the earthquake area with a bus and MAN TGE in coordination with the disaster control organisation – both vehicles were also used to take people to Ankara on the way back.
