Turkish relief organisation reaches out to 150,000 flood victims

ISLAMABAD: Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) of Turkey reached out to more than 150,000 flood victims in the aftermath of the most devastating inundation on record in the country.

The Istanbul-based aid group said in a statement that to date, it had distributed 13,272 food packages, 1,107 tents, 6,215 blankets, 7,337 hygiene packages, over 3,000 kitchen sets, 100 water strainers, and around 4,500 mosquito nets since the floods that began in mid-June inundated vast parts of the country until they subsided in October.

It also served hot meals and canned foods to over 55,000 flood victims and supported four mobile field clinics in Sindh and Balochistan for 195 days, the statement said, adding the clinics provided free examinations, treatment, and medicine.

The group is still in the field to provide relief to the flood victims. While the IHH has helped over 150,000 Pakistanis in various ways, nearly 34,650 people received medical treatment at these field clinics, it said. Over 1,700 victims died in the massive floods and heavy rainfall, according to figures by the authorities.

The aid group also extended a helping hand to orphans and their families in Pakistan with food and income aid. The sources reminded that Turkey was among the countries that dispatched its trained staff for the provision of assistance to the flood-hit people in Pakistan. Turkey also established an air bridge between Ankara and Islamabad for the supply of much-needed goods for the affected.