A Pakistani living in the United States went to the Turkish Embassy to anonymously donate $30 million to those affected by a massive and deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this week, according to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
In a tweet on Saturday, Sharif said he was “deeply moved” by the act.
“These are such glorious acts of philanthropy that enable humanity to triumph over the seemingly insurmountable odds,” he said.
Pakistan’s government formed a committee on Thursday to collect funds and provide supplies for Turkey and Syria, Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s state-run media agency, reported.
On Saturday, the Pakistan National Disaster Management Authority said on Twitter that two more relief consignments were flying to “the sister and brothers” of Turkey to provide aid.
The death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake surpassed 28,000 people this weekend, and thousands more are still reported missing as rescue efforts continue.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the earthquake “the disaster of the century.”
As millions face displacement from the disaster, donating money is the most efficient way to support survivors, and the organizations are providing aid in the region, Insider reported.
PM Shehbaz also announced on Friday that the federal government has allocated approximately 12 million in US dollars to help Turkey’s earthquake relief efforts, saying that Pakistan will continue to assist the calamity-hit country every day.
“I believe that the people of Turkey and Syria will come out of this difficulty,” he said, adding that Pakistan assured Turkey of assistance the day when this tragedy took place.
“A Pakistan Army team was sent the day when the earthquake hit Turkey and the dispatching of the relief goods has begun,” he continued.
He said that goods weighing 100 tons are being sent to Turkey in trucks.
At least 870,000 people urgently needed food in the two countries after the quake, which has left up to 5.3 million people homeless in Syria alone, the UN warned.
