Argentina sends humanitarian donations to Türkiye: Foreign Ministr

By Bala Chambers

BUENOS AIRES (AA) - Argentina sent humanitarian donations Friday to Türkiye to help with relief efforts following devastating earthquakes that hit in February, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Mattresses, sheets, blankets and wellington boots provided by the Ministry of Social Development left from the Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires for Türkiye.

The Foreign Ministry said the aim is to help the humanitarian and health needs that the population in Türkiye has been experiencing since the earthquakes struck Feb 6.

Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero gave instructions to authorities to oversee and organize the shipment for the Turkish people, according to the statement.

Türkiye's Embassy in Buenos Aires thanked Argentina for "its generous donation of humanitarian aid directed to our regions affected by the earthquake.”

"We will always remember your solidarity and friendship," it wrote on Twitter.

The Foreign Ministry underscored the work by Turkish Airlines, which it said has assumed the financial costs of the operation and will be transferring it to the Turkish Disaster Management Authority, or AFAD.

The embassy has also been coordinating solidarity efforts for those wishing to donate -- asking for winter garments, sleeping bags, food items and toiletries which have been taken to the Ezeiza Airport and flown to Türkiye on Turkish Airlines.

The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude quakes struck 11 provinces in southern Türkiye last month, claiming more than 50,000 lives.

More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.