2 more Turkish planes carrying relief goods for flood victims arrive in Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Two more Turkish planes carrying tents, rations, medicines, and other relief supplies for flood victims in Pakistan landed in Karachi on Tuesday.

Turkish Consul General in Karachi, Cemal Sagnu told Anadolu Agency that another two planes are expected to arrive at Karachi's Mohammad Ali Jinnah airport later Tuesday evening.

With the latest arrivals, a total of seven aircraft loaded with relief items have landed in Karachi over the past three days, the Pakistan Army said in a statement.

The Turkish Relief and Disaster Agency is set to establish a tent village in the Badin district of southern Sindh province for 400 affected families, complete with kitchen and hygiene kits and other facilities.

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

The most destructive monsoon spells in Pakistan's recent history, combined with raging floods, have ripped away mountainsides, ripped building foundations off, and inundated over 70 districts, turning them into inland rivers.

Nearly 1,200 people have lost their lives, while more than a million houses have been destroyed or damaged since mid-June, according to the country's National Disaster Management Authority.

Constant rains and raging floods have also destroyed a large chunk of the country's infrastructure and agricultural lands, including hundreds of roads and bridges, and washed away nearly a million animals.

According to the Meteorological Department of Pakistan, the South Asian country, which is among the top 10 nations in the world vulnerable to climate change, has received over 200% more rains this year than average monsoon showers.​​​​​​​