In order to help the victims of a deadly earthquake in Turkey that has killed more than 3,000 lives, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to establish a relief fund.
“To help the victims of the earthquake in Turkey at this difficult hour, PM Shebaz Sharif has decided to establish PM Relief Fund,” Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said Tuesday after a plane load of relief goods and rescue team from Pakistan reached Turkey.
According to the minister, the federal cabinet has pledged to provide one month’s salary, and the prime minister has asked for assistance from philanthropists.
A devastating earthquake of a magnitude of 7.8 struck Turkey and Syria, leaving approximately 5,000 people dead and many others injured.
Pakistan dispatches rescue team
Pakistan had already dispatched two planes to Turkey, along with a 51-person search and rescue team, to aid with rescue efforts.
A C-130 Hercules aircraft from Pakistan Air Force Base, Nur Khan, carrying members of a rescue team and blankets, has landed in Istanbul, according to a PAF statement.
“The PAF aircraft is carrying relief goods from the people of Pakistan for the earthquake-affected brethren of Turkiye. The transport fleet of the Pakistan Air Force has always been at the forefront to respond to natural disasters and calamities both inland and abroad,” said the spokesperson of the Foreign Office.
According to the spokeswoman, Pakistan had sent the victims’ search and rescue teams, to a makeshift hospital with 30 beds, and medicines. A third aircraft will also go to the earthquake-stricken country.
The rescue team includes a search squad and two technical rescue squads while a seven-member medical team has also landed in Istanbul.
In a separate statement, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said: “As part of Pakistan Support for Turkiye, urban search and rescue (USAR) and Rescue 1122 team boarded through PIA flight from Lahore to Istanbul today.”
It said that a second C-130 aircraft carrying winterized tents and blankets will take off from Lahore today.
