On April 12, 2011, the aid ship, which set off from Zeyport port in Istanbul, reached Misrata in Libya, where conflict continues.
682 tons of humanitarian aid supplies carried by the ship 'Irmak' have been transfered to warehouses in Misrata. Aid supplies consist of a 50-bed mobile hospital, medicines and medical supplies, powdered milk, diapers, baby food and a variety of foods. Humanitarian aid supplies have been loaded into trucks and have started to be distributed to the areas of necessity.
The humanitarian aid supplies, with a total value of 5.3 million Turkish lira, are expected to be distributed to needy people within a short period of time.
In the meantime, 9 containers of relief supplies sent from the port of Izmir are being distributed to needy people in the cities of Benghazi and Beyda.
The IHH Humanitarian Aid Foundation Vice Chairman Yaşar Kutluay explained that "Misrata is the third largest city in Libya. It is known to be one of the areas experiencing the most violent conflicts. The civilians in that area are struggling for survival between two fires. There are serious difficulties, especially in pharmaceuticals and medical supplies in Misrata. We prepared our medical supplies by taking the regional doctors' reports into consideration. We sent the first ship to Libya from Istanbul.”
Kutluay, who stated that the IHH has sent aid worth 8 million Turkish lira so far, said that “the IHH have conducted emergency aid work in Benghazi and Beyda previously. We opened an office in Benghazi. Previously we sent 9 containers of humanitarian aid material from the Izmir port. We brought 12 Libyan wounded people to Istanbul. Their treatments are being undertaken in various hospitals. We organised the evacuation of 80 wounded people from Benghazi on the ferry 'Ankara' that was sent by the Ministry of Health. We arranged emergency aid to Turkish and foreign workers who had to leave the Libyan-Tunisian border. We have helped those who financially need help. For Libya, we used our 20 years of experience in the areas of war and crisis and we responded very quickly. We are well-organized both in Turkey and in the region of crisis. We will carry on providing aid with support from our people.”
