HKSAR to send 30 mln HKD worth of supplies to quake-hit Turkey
Photographs of children are fixed to a tree near rubble, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 14.
John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said on Tuesday that the HKSAR government will send about 30 million Hong Kong dollars (US$3.82 million) worth of supplies to quake-hit areas in Turkey.
Lee told a press briefing before the Executive Council meeting that the HKSAR government had gathered a batch of emergency goods including tents, clothing, blankets, medicine and medical supplies to be sent to the quake-hit areas in Turkey.
More than 100 tons of supplies donated by Hong Kong citizens were delivered to Turkey on Monday evening, he said.
The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey has climbed to 31,643, the country's disaster agency was quoted by the Anadolu Agency on Monday as saying, bringing the total fatalities with neighboring Syria to more than 35,000 with tens of thousands injured.
The HKSAR government on Wednesday sent a search and rescue team of 59 members, including officials from various departments such as security, fire services, immigration and health, to the quake-hit areas in Turkey.
Lee said that he appreciated the HKSAR rescue team for assisting in search and rescue operations in Turkey, during which four survivors were rescued.
