The Swedish government has decided "to allocate seven million kronor [$660,000] for humanitarian support to the IFRC [the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies], for the Turkish Red Crescent and the Syrian Red Crescent," Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Johan Forssell told a press conference.
Forssell noted that five million kronor [$470,000] would be sent to Turkey and two million [$180,000] to Syria. Sweden is ready to provide additional assistance to the affected countries if needed, the minister added.
Finland has also decided to send specialists to Turkey to support rescue efforts, and is considering sending material aid, the Finnish Interior Ministry said.
"Finland will send experts as soon as possible to Turkey, where rescue work is underway after a major earthquake. The experts are being sent through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism ... In addition to specialist assistance, Finland plans to send other assistance, such as possible material aid, to earthquake areas in Turkey and Syria," the ministry said in a statement.
A massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook parts of Turkey and Syria overnight, with another 7.6-magnitude earthquake occurring only several hours later. Thousands of homes were toppled and more than 2,100 people in both countries were killed as a result.
The European Union sent rescuers to Turkey in response to its request to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Russia also sent teams to assist Turkey and instructed its troops to help the Syrian authorities. A number of other countries also voiced their readiness to provide assistance if necessary.