Türkiye sends relief goods to earthquake-hit Afghanistan

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye dispatched relief goods for the victims of massive earthquakes in northwestern Afghanistan.

"We are extending our country's helping hand to Afghanistan," the Turkish National Defense Ministry Monday said on X.

The aircraft that will deliver the required relief supplies took off from the Murted Air Base, 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 epicenter 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.