ISLAMABAD, Oct 13: Three more Turkish military aircraft landed at Islamabad airport on Thursday with 25 tons of humanitarian aid, equipment for setting up a field hospital, and 17 doctors and 20 medics.

With the arrival of three more aircraft, the total number of Turkish planes that touched Islamabad with relief goods has risen to six, says a Turkish embassy handout.

On Wednesday, President Gen Pervez Musharraf thanked a number of countries, including Turkey, for immediately responding with humanitarian aid for the victims of the worst earthquake tragedy in Pakistan’s history.

The Turkish embassy’s press handout said the Turkish teams were participating in search and rescue (SAR) operations since day one of the tragedy and had also been providing medical and other assistance.

The Turkish doctors have vaccinated more than 5,000 people in Muzaffarabad and its surrounding areas and pulled out eight persons from the rubble.

The Turkish organizations working in the country are the Turkish General Directorate of Civil Defence, Ministry of Interior, having 22 personnel, a medical team of the Turkish having 48 personnel; Natural Disaster Rescue Battalion, 22; Turkish Red Crescent, 19; GEA SAR team (NGO), 12; AKUT SAR team (NGO), 12; and LIDAM (NGO) with three personnel.

Besides, the Turkish banks have opened ‘Earthquake Relief Fund’ accounts so that the people of Turkey could deposit their contributions for the grief-stricken Pakistani people.

During the Friday prayers, the Turkish Imams would call upon the public to generously deposit their contributions in the banks, reminding them that the people of Pakistan, during the time of the Turkish war of independence, had made generous contributions of ornaments as well as their daughters’ entire dowry amount.

The private sector Turkish airlines MNG has also sent an F- 27 type aircraft which will stand-by in Pakistan for a week for humanitarian purposes.

The embassy press release also reiterated the Turkish government’s resolve to continue humanitarian aid services by dispatching 15 more Turkish military aircraft till October 31.