Saudi Arabia sends new aid planes to quake victims in Türkiye, Syria

By Ibrahim Al-Khazen

ANKARA (AA) – Saudi Arabia on Wednesday dispatched new planes loaded with relief materials for the victims of last week’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.

State news agency SPA said a plane loaded with 90 tons of foodstuffs, medical and shelter supplies headed to Gaziantep Airport in Türkiye.

The plane was the eighth to have been sent by Saudi Arabia to Türkiye since the earthquake disaster.

Earlier Wednesday, a Saudi plane carrying 35 tons of aid arrived at Aleppo Airport in Syria, the second such aid plane to the quake-hit Arab country.

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 35,418 people were killed and 105,505 others injured in two powerful earthquakes that rocked southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, according to the latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

In Syria, at least 3,688 people were killed and over 14,749 injured in the earthquake disaster.

* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report