ISLAMABAD: Another Pakistani planeload carrying tents arrived in the Turkish city of Adana on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) confirmed, as Pakistan steps up its efforts to provide relief to the disaster-struck people after last month’s devastating earthquake.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake last month killed 47,975 people in Turkiye, the head of the country’s disaster and emergency management agency, Yunus Sezer, said on Saturday. UN estimates that the tremors, which were felt in some parts of Syria as well, caused the deaths of 6,000 persons there, pushing the combined death toll to over 50,000.

Pakistan has announced it would initiate a special flight operation to speed up the transport of 50,000 tents to Turkiye over the next two weeks. Sunday’s flight carried 1,200 winterized, fire-resistant tents and was the first plane that kicked off the flight operation, MoFA said in a statement.

Khawaja Ahmed Hasaan, special assistant to Pakistan’s prime minister, also landed in Adana with the special flight to convey his solidarity with the people of Turkiye.

“Under the directions of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, earthquake relief supplies mainly winterized tents are being transported to brotherly Turkiye through air, land, and sea routes,” MoFA said in a statement. It added that the relief operation would continue till the earthquake victims are not completely rehabilitated.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was the first leader to visit the affected region to express solidarity with the earthquake survivors,” MoFA said.

Speaking to the media, Hasaan said PM Sharif was monitoring the earthquake relief operation from Pakistan himself, adding that people of the two countries are like “two hearts, one soul.”

“Ambassador Burcu Çevik from Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the government and government of Pakistan for quick response and solidarity with Turkiye in this difficult time,” MoFA added.