Flood-hit Colombia receives Turkish agency’s aid

By Lokman Ilhan

MOCOA, Colombia

Heavily affected by a flood earlier in April, authorities in Colombia received on Saturday aid from Turkey’s state humanitarian agency.

Representatives from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) have delivered the aid packages to the authorities in the country’s Mocoa region.

A representative from Colombia’s Health Ministry Luz Dary Ortega said this help was very meaningful for them and thanked Turkey.

TIKA’s Bogota Coordinator Mehmet Ozkan had earlier said 200 aid packages sent to the southern city of Mocoa included urgent needs such as cleaning materials and medical equipment, antibiotics and painkillers.

According to Colombia's disaster and emergency management (UNGRD), the death toll after last week's flooding disaster rose to 321.

Heavy rainfall since last Saturday has wiped many neighborhoods off the map in Mocoa, home to 45,000 people.

Almost 120 of the victims were under 18 years old and 106 people were still missing, UNGRD said in a statement on Saturday.