Türkiye sends relief goods for earthquake victims in Afghanistan

Ankara, The Gulf Observer: Türkiye sent relief goods for the victims of massive earthquakes in northwestern Afghanistan.

“We are extending our country’s helping hand to Afghanistan,” the Turkish National Defence Ministry on Monday said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The aircraft that will deliver the required relief supplies took off from the Murted Air Base in Ankara, it added.

The death toll from Saturday’s massive earthquakes in Afghanistan has shot up to over 2,500, said the Taliban police.

According to the US Geological Survey, strong earthquakes of magnitude 6.3, 5.9, and 5.5 jolted the northwestern Herat and Badghis provinces. It said the epicentre was 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) northwest of Herat city.

Afghanistan is frequently struck by tremors, mainly the Hindukush mountain range, which sits near the confluence of Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake in June last year killed over 1,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless in the eastern Paktika province.