(Yicai Global) Feb. 13 -- The first batch of emergency supplies sent by the Turkish subsidiary of Chinese web games developer Mechanist Games have arrived in regions of the country devastated by last week’s powerful earthquakes.

The unit has more than 20 local employees who donated heaters, clothing, food, and other daily necessities worth about TRY200,000 (USD10,618) and made donations via channels of the Turkish government, Hakan Aslanbas, the general manager of the Istanbul-based firm, told Yicai Global.

The supplies were dispatched on Feb. 6, the same day that two big earthquakes hit the country and neighboring Syria, he noted.

The death toll from the quakes now exceeds 34,000, with over 29,000 in Türkiye, Reuters reported today, citing a United Nations agency. The UN warned that the extent of the damage caused by the earthquakes is not fully known yet.

China has been closely monitoring the situation in Türkiye and Syria after the quakes, supporting and encouraging local firms and chambers of commerce to donate emergency supplies and equipment to both countries and take part in the rescue efforts, Shu Jueting, a commerce ministry official, said at a press conference on Feb. 9.

The quakes did not damage Istanbul because it is far from the epicenter, Aslanbas added. “Our operations weren’t affected negatively since we are working in the IT sector. But some of the other businesses around that region are affected negatively. For example, one of my friend's stone mines completely collapsed,” he said.

There have been no reports of dead or injured employees of Chinese firms, with only some equipment of local companies damaged by the quakes, according to the Chinese government.

Trade between China and Türkiye jumped 41 percent to USD34.2 billion in 2021, according to commerce ministry data.

Editors: Shi Yi, Martin Kadiev