Turkey sends humanitarian aid to quake-hit Haiti

By Selim Tas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey on Monday sent 16 tons of humanitarian aid to Haiti after the Caribbean nation was hit recently with a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

The aid, containing 222 boxes of food and 270 boxes of hygiene products, was prepared upon the direction of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) said in a statement.

The aid will be shipped to Haiti by a Turkish Air Force cargo plane and will be distributed by a AFAD team, the statement added.

The death toll in Haiti from the powerful earthquake earlier this month has risen to more than 2,000, the country's civil defense agency said on Sunday.

At least 2,207 people are dead and 12,268 injured after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the country on Aug. 14.

With over 100,000 homes destroyed or damaged from the quake, search and rescue efforts continue for more than 344 people still missing.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk