Another Turkish plane carrying medicines for Pakistani flood victims lands in Karachi

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Another Turkish plane carrying essential medicines and vaccines for Pakistani flood victims landed on Monday in the southern port city of Karachi.

Turkish Consulate General Karachi officials handed over the supplies to Pakistani authorities at Mohammad Ali Jinnah Airport.

It includes malaria pills, tetanus vaccines, and other medical supplies as the flood victims are grappling with an outbreak of several waterborne, eye, and skin diseases.

With the latest arrival, a total of 15 aircraft loaded with relief items have landed in Karachi over the past month.

Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) has so far sent 13 “goodness trains” loaded with over 7,000 tons of relief goods, including tents, food items, medicines, kitchen items, vaccines, and other supplies to the flood-hit regions in Pakistan.

The AFAD has also set up two temporary housing cities in Jamshoro and Dadu districts of southern Sindh province, one of the regions hit hard by recent floods.

The two facilities are accommodating over 1,000 people displaced by floods.

The AFAD also plans to set up a third tent city in the Thatta district of Sindh.

Moreover, over 30,000 tents have already been distributed by the AFAD in 19 different regions, providing temporary housing to around 200,000 displaced people.

The Turkish Red Crescent is already on the ground in southwestern Balochistan, another badly hit province, providing clean water and food to thousands of flood-affected people.

The drenching monsoon along with devastating floods inundated a third of Pakistan, aside from killing nearly 1,700 people and injuring tens of thousands since mid-June.

Torrential rains – 10 times heavier than usual – have also damaged nearly 45% of the country's cropland, posing a serious threat to the country's food security.

The government has estimated a staggering loss of $28 billion inflicted by the catastrophe on the already tottering economy, mainly in terms of infrastructure and agriculture.