Bungie announced having raised over $200,000 in just 24 hours for earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria, where the natural disaster caused widespread destruction and claimed more than 30,000 lives according to the Turkish government. It will be directed towards helping people affected by the earthquake.
Bungie launched a fundraising campaign in partnership with Direct Relief and International Rescue Committee, encouraging players to make donations to help the victims of the massive earthquake. Players who want to contribute to the fund can do so via the official website. Bungie assured the fundraising efforts will directly go towards providing supplies like shelter, medicine, and food to the victims.
As reported by international news channels, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck both countries on February 6, causing widespread destruction on the eastern side of Turkey and the western region of Syria. The natural disaster’s death toll surpassed 30,000 at the time of writing, and it affected an area that is home to 13.5 million people between the two countries. This earthquake has been labeled as the most destructive event of the century in Turkey, where a 7.9 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Elazıg in 1939.
Bungie’s efforts to use its charitable arm to help the victims of the earthquake received a positive reception from the community. As iterated by the company, it galvanizes the gaming community to help those who need it most. “With natural events on the rise globally, we will lead a community-wide initiative to support a natural disaster relief effort once per year, using the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs’ classification system to determine which, ‘Level 3’ event we’ll aid,” the Bungie Foundation states.
Relief efforts for Turkey and Syria continue to grow, as Twitch streamers Mizkif and HasanAbi are among those who have also set up donation links to help hundreds of thousands of people suffering from the consequences of the disaster. Bungie will keep the community updated on the fundraising campaign as it collects more donations.