Saudi Arabia sends 14 aid planes to quake-hit Türkiye, Syria

By Ibrahim Al-Khazen

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AA) – Saudi Arabia has dispatched 14 planes loaded with relief aid to the victims of the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, according to a Saudi spokesman.

“Each plane carries between 30-40 tons of aid to the quake victims,” Samer Al-Jutaili, a spokesman for the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, told the local Al Ekhbariya channel.

He said the first phase of the Saudi humanitarian aid focused on providing food, shelter and medicine to the quake victims.

“Saudi Arabia will continue its air bridge to relieve the quake victims in both Türkiye and Syria,” the spokesman said.

Following the earthquake disaster, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center launched a donation drive on Feb. 8 for the quake victims in Türkiye and Syria.

More than 362 million riyals (nearly $96 million) have been collected so far as part of the drive, according to the Saudi government's Sahem Platform, which is responsible for the donation campaign.

At least 44,200 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.

In Syria, at least 5,840 people have been killed in the earthquake disaster.

* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report