Pakistan dispatches over 36,000 winterized tents for Türkiye's quake victims so far

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan has so far dispatched over 36,000 winterized tents as well as other relief goods for earthquake victims in Türkiye, an official statement said on Tuesday.

Pakistan's national disaster management authority briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the ongoing relief efforts the quake-hit areas of Türkiye and Syria, as it said 50,000 tents will have been sent to Türkiye by the end of March, according to the statement issued by the premier's office.

Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, chairman of the national disaster management agency, said Islamabad has so far dispatched 36,402 winterized tents for Türkiye's earthquake victims through 29 cargo flights.

Apart from winterized tents, he added, around 2,600 tons of relief goods have also been dispatched to Türkiye and Syria since Feb. 6 through sea route.

Pakistan is one the countries that sent relief teams and goods to the earthquake-hit areas of Türkiye in the aftermath of the powerful twin quakes.

Pakistani and Kashmiri communities in the UK have also raised £370,000 ($454,000) to support the earthquake victims in the two countries.

On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck southern and southeastern Türkiye, claiming the lives of over 50,000 people.

Some 13.5 million people have been affected across 11 provinces in Türkiye - Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.

In neighboring Syria, the strong tremors killed 6,000 people, according to the UN.