EU executive offers 1 billion euros to help rebuild Turkey from earthquake

A destroyed business in Antakya Kucuk Sanyi Sitesi Industrial Estate is pictured in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Antakya, Hatay province, March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU executive will give 1 billion euros ($1.07 bln) to help reconstruction in Turkey, the head of the European Commission said on Monday in launching an international conference to drum up support following a devastating earthquake there last month.

Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said the earthquake killed nearly 50,000 people in Turkey and the neighbouring Syria, the largest natural disaster in the region in years.