Turkish humanitarian aid arrives in quake-hit Indonesia

By Orhan Onur Gemici

PALU, Indonesia (AA) - Turkey has sent two aircrafts loaded with humanitarian aid supplies to the disaster-hit region in Indonesia on Tuesday.

The Turkish Armed Forces sent two C-130 transport aircrafts which transferred aid by the country's charity groups in order to meet the needs of the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

The aid, which included 1,000 sleeping bags and 250 tents, were transported to the affected regions after the aircraft landed in Palu.

Three Turkish Red Crescent and two Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) personnel were also on board.

A total of nine personnel from Turkey are currently active in the region.

On Sept. 28, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Sulawesi Island, which triggered a tsunami that towered up to 10 feet (3 meters) high.

The disaster has caused over 2,000 deaths, according military authorities in the region on Tuesday.

The death toll is feared to rise as at least 5,000 people were still missing, according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).