Italy, Kazakhstan, UAE and Bangladesh send medical and relief aid to Syria earthquake victims
Two Italian military planes loaded with medical and relief aid for the victims of the earthquake that recently hit Syria arrived this evening at Beirut International Airport.
The shipments were received by Head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) Khaled Hboubati, Secretary General of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Hagan Shbagan, a delegation representing the International Red Crescent Movement, the Chargé d’ affairs of the Italian Embassy in Beirut and representatives of the Lebanese Red Cross.
The aid, provided by the Italian government and people, includes four physicians specialize in bone surgery and emergency cases, four ambulances as well as medical supplies, SARC head Khaled Hboubati said, calling on lifting the western sanctions imposed on Syria.
“If this aid had arrived directly at Damascus airport, it would have been easier, and we would have saved the efforts of the Lebanese Red Cross, which provided all necessary assistance,” he added.
For his part, head of the Italian medical mission, Dr. Tammam Yousuf, said that this assistance is a message of solidarity from the Italian people to the Syrian people.
The Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport in the Caretaker government Ali Hamiyeh said that “the first plane carrying humanitarian aid to Syria was an Italian one. It landed at Beirut Airport in implementation of Lebanon’s decision to open its airspace and ports to all the planes and ships that aim at delivering aid to the earthquake-hit Syrian people.
Also today evening, a Kazakh plane, with humanitarian aid on board, ar
rived in Aleppo International Airport. The aid includes tents, winter clothes and medicine. Kazakhstan announced that it dedicated 4 planes loaded with 50 tons of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. two planes have already arrived and the rest will arrive within days carrying food materials.
Emirati and Bangladeshi relief aid arrives at Damascus Airport
Earlier this morning, an Emirati plane loaded with relief aid for those affected by the earthquake arrived at Damascus International Airport.
Assistant Minister of Local Administration and Environment Moutaz Douaji told SANA that this is the 13th UAE plane to arrive in Damascus today. It carries 88 tons of food materials and relief aid to help the people affected by the earthquake,
In a statement to reporters, Douaji said that the number of the Emirati relief planes that arrived at the airports of Aleppo, Lattakia and Damascus has so far reached to 55, 28 of which landed at Damascus Airport so as to be shipped to the affected provinces immediately.
Another Emirati plane with 32 tons of relief aid on board landed at Lattakia International Airport.
In addition, a plane, loaded with 10 tons of foodstuff, tents, blankets and medicines provided by the Republic of Bangladesh to the quake-affected people arrived at Damascus Airport.
Nahid Sabhan, the non-resident Ambassador of Bangladeh to Syria said upon the arrival of the plane that the people of Bangladesh voice sympathy with the Syrian people in their ordeal and they express their condolences over the massive human and material losses that resulted from the earthquake disaster.
Hamda Mustafa