Qatar's First Flight of Aid Leaves for Sudan

Doha, August 12 (QNA) - Qatar's first flight of the airlift left Doha this evening for Sudan, carrying aid to relief victims of the floods that swept through large areas of cities and villages in Sudan, causing dozens of deaths, destruction of thousands of homes and the displacement of residents. A team of Qatari search and rescue (Lekhwia) is to transport the Qatar assistance airlift from Doha to Khartoum airport, with an initial batch of 40 tons of relief materials in addition to diverse equipment, tents and medicines. The aid includes 10 tons of rooftops blankets , 18 tons of tents including (400 tents), nine large pumps to draw water, and six tons of blankets and two tons of medicines and first aid materials. The second airlift is expected to leave Doha tomorrow, Tuesday, carrying 40 tonnes of various aid materials, along with a search and rescue group . The Qatari search and rescue team had participated in several humanitarian missions in a number of countries including Pakistan when an earthquake struck the region in October 2005, and in 2006 in Indonesia when a powerful earthquake hit the country . The Qatari team also participated in operations to rescue the victims of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, where the team was the first to arrive in Lebanon. The team also participated in rescue missions in Haiti and Chile in 2010. In 2011 the Qatari team also participated in relief operations for those affected by drought and famine in Somalia, and in 2012 the team also transported humanitarian aid to victims of the earthquake in Iran as well as to the victims of the hurricane in Cuba, and the Syrian refugees at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. (QNA)