Iraq launches airbridge to transport aid to quake-hit Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has launched an airbridge to transport aid to neighboring Syria following the devastating earthquake, with an air force engineer telling Rudaw on Sunday that tons of relief aid have already been delivered to those affected by the natural disaster.

A disastrous 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the city of Kahramanmaras in southern Turkey on Monday dawn, with its impact also ripping through neighboring Syria. Nearly 35,000 people have been killed in both countries due to the quake as of Sunday evening, with millions others left homeless and in need of urgent support.

“Under the directive of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, and supervision of the honorable defense minister and honorable air force chief, Iraqi air forces have launched an airbridge between Iraq and Syria to deliver humanitarian and medical aid to the Syrian people,” Air Force Engineer Ehab Salman told Rudaw’s Anmar Ghazi on Sunday.

Salman said the most recent cargo transported to Syria included foodstuffs, covers, and mattresses, weighing nearly 21,000 pounds.

The Iraqi defense ministry said that a total of 24 flights will be conducted to deliver aid to Syria, in addition to returning Iraqi families that have survived the earthquake.

The UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said that the earthquake was the worst event in 100 years, adding that the death toll could rise to above 50,000.

The natural disaster has galvanized countries from around the world to come to the aid of the mourning countries, providing rescue teams, monetary support, as well as relief and medical supplies.