ISLAMABAD: Another aircraft from Pakistan has reached the Turkish city of Adana carrying tons of relief goods for the survivors of this week’s devastating earthquake, the Pakistani embassy in Turkiye said on Saturday, as the death toll from the disaster hit 20,600 in Turkiye and 3,500 in Syria.
The death toll exceeded 24,000 across southern Turkiye and northwest Syria a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said authorities should have reacted faster to Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
Sixty-seven people had been clawed from the rubble in the previous 24 hours, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay told reporters overnight, in efforts that drew in 31,000 rescuers across the affected region. About 80,000 people were being treated in hospital, while 1.05 million left homeless by the quakes huddled in temporary shelters, he added.
Pakistan continues to send relief goods, including winterized tents, blankets and dried food, to save lives in the earthquake-hit regions of the two countries.
“In line with the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, 9th aircraft carrying 18 tons of winterized tents arrived #Adana this morning,” the Pakistani embassy in Turkiye said on Twitter.
“These tents will contribute immensely toward saving lives in severe cold in affected areas.”
Meanwhile, PM Sharif said a Pakistani national in the US “anonymously” donated $30 million for the quake survivors of Turkiye and Syria.
“Deeply moved by the example of an anonymous Pakistani who walked into Turkish embassy in the US & donated $30 million for earthquake victims in Türkiye & Syria,” he wrote on Twitter.
“These are such glorious acts of philanthropy that enable humanity to triumph over the seemingly insurmountable odds.”
The development followed Sharif’s appeals to the Pakistani people to donate generously for the survivors of Monday’s earthquake.
On Friday, the Pakistan premier announced allocating $36 million to a relief fund he established for the people of Turkiye.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) would purchase relief goods, including winterized tents, blankets and dried food, for the earthquake victims and send it to the two countries, he added.
