Taiwan collaborates with Turkish Red Crescent to aid Afghan quake victims

ISTANBUL

Self-ruled Taiwan has collaborated with the Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) to help the victims of last week's earthquake in Afghanistan.

The 6.1 magnitude quake in the landlocked South Asian nation left 1,150 people dead and 1,600 others wounded, according to official figures.

Earlier, Taiwan announced $1 million in emergency aid for the victims.

In a statement on Friday, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said the government decided to cooperate with Kizilay to provide “immediate relief to the victims and carry forward the spirit of humanitarian concern."

It lauded Kizilay for its “international credibility” and “years of practical implementation experience in Afghanistan.”

Some 2,000 houses have been destroyed in the worst earthquake in Afghanistan in two decades leaving 270,000 people in need of aid, the statement further said.

“The first batch of emergency supplies including food and medical supplies will be delivered to the disaster-stricken areas and distributed to the affected households as soon as possible,” the statement added.

The rebuilding of schools and infrastructure is also part of the post-disaster recovery plan, it added.