ISLAMABAD: Pakistan dispatched 70 tons of relief goods to Myanmar on Tuesday, the foreign office said, as the military ruler of the Southeast Asian country warned the death toll from last week’s powerful earthquake was likely to exceed 3,000.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had spoken with Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing a day earlier, extending condolences over the loss of lives caused by the devastating 7.7-magnitude quake that struck on Friday.
During the call, Sharif assured the Myanmar leader that Pakistan would provide all possible assistance to help those affected by the disaster.
“In keeping with its commitment to international cooperation during times of crisis, Pakistan has dispatched 70 tons of relief supplies to Myanmar for those affected by the recent earthquakes,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal saw off the first flight carrying 35 tons,” it added. “Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with his Myanmar counterpart, expressing solidarity with the people of Myanmar and assuring them of all possible assistance in the wake of the disaster.”
Aid groups in Myanmar on Tuesday described scenes of devastation and desperation, warning of a narrowing window to find survivors.
Earlier today, the official death toll had reached 2,719, with 4,521 injured and 441 still missing. Myanmar’s military ruler in a televised address, said the toll was expected to surpass 3,000.
The quake, which struck at lunchtime on Friday, was the strongest to hit the Southeast Asian country in over a century. It caused extensive damage in the cities of Mandalay and Naypyitaw, flattening ancient pagodas and modern buildings alike.
In neighboring Thailand, at least 21 people were reported dead, and search operations continued in Bangkok for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed under-construction skyscraper.
UN agencies said hospitals in Myanmar were overwhelmed, with rescue efforts hampered by infrastructure damage and ongoing conflict. Aid workers also reported a severe shortage of food, water and shelter in the country.
With input from Reuters
Pakistan sends 70 tons of quake aid to Myanmar as death toll nears 3,000
https://arab.news/b8m8t
Pakistan sends 70 tons of quake aid to Myanmar as death toll nears 3,000
- Myanmar was shaken by a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake, its worse in over a century
- Shehbaz Sharif assured the ruler of the Southeast Asian state of Pakistan’s support a day earlier
PIA denies social media claim its entire flight crew went missing abroad
- Airline says the allegation emerged from ‘anti-Pakistan quarters’ to defame both the national carrier
- Some social media posts recently said a PIA flight crew had gone missing during a layover in Toronto
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Sunday dismissed as “fake news” a social media claim that the entire crew of one of its flights had disappeared overseas, saying the post was circulated to defame both the national carrier and the country.
The statement came after social media posts said a PIA flight crew had gone missing during a layover in Toronto, Canada.
Previously, there have been reports that individual crew members have used layovers to remain abroad, often linked by analysts to economic conditions at home and perceived asylum opportunities under Canada’s immigration policies. However, PIA has adopted measures such as holding passports with station managers and assigning older crew to Canada routes to curb the trend.
“A tweet, circulated by certain anti-Pakistan quarters, claiming that the whole crew of a particular #PIA flight is missing, is entirely baseless,” the airline announced in a post on X, adding that the purpose of the message “seems to malign PIA and #Pakistan.”
“There has been no such incident, and the news is fake,” it said.
According to local media reports, the information had been circulated by an “Afghan and anti-Pakistan account.”
“The misleading tweet is part of a well-conceived plan based on hostility toward Pakistan and is aimed at damaging the reputation of the national airline and the country,” Pakistan’s English-language broadsheet, Dawn, quoted the airline spokesperson as saying.
Pakistan has been striving to privatize PIA along with other state-owned enterprises under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program.
The airline was banned from operating in Britain and Europe, though those restrictions have been removed more recently.
