Trucks carrying Saudi humanitarian aid to quake-stricken areas in Syria have begun entering from Turkey through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, Al Arabiya reported on Saturday. Saudi Arabia has sent a total of six planes carrying aid to Turkey after King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed operating an air bridge to help the victims of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria.

The sixth plane arrived in Turkey’s Gaziantep on Saturday morning, carrying 98 tons of humanitarian aid, including food, blankets and medicine. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) officially launched its aid program on Wednesday to aid people who have been affected by the earthquake that killed at least 25,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

The Kingdom is also accepting donations through its “Sahem” program which has so far received $67 million (251 million Saudi riyals).Monday’s quake, followed hours later by a second one almost as powerful, toppled thousands of buildings including hospitals, schools and apartment blocks, wounded tens of thousands, and left countless people homeless in Turkey and northern Syria.The death toll of the earthquake, which UN aid chief Martin Griffiths described as the “worst event in 100 years” in the region, is expected to rise as rescue teams continue to look for survivors under the rubble despite dwindling hope.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP