KARACHI, Oct 27: The US navy ship USS Cleveland carrying 14 containers of engineering equipment and 18 tons of humanitarian assistance supplies from Egypt and France arrived here on Thursday.

Pakistan Army will transport the equipment to the quake-affected areas.

This is the fourth delivery, made by the US Navy vessels, of the relief assistance.

Earlier on October 17 and 18, the MV Northern Lights and USS Pearl Harbor were diverted from their normal operations to transport heavy equipment to Karachi for relief work. Those deliveries comprised cargo trucks, dump trucks, backhoes, forklifts and generators.

On October 24, the USS Pearl Harbor made a second delivery of goods donated by Pakistanis working in the United Arab Emirates. These goods included 140 tons of food, water, milk and blankets.

“The United States and the people of Pakistan share a long and historic friendship. In America, we are seeing the reports (from Pakistan) of thousands dead and millions suffering and rendered homeless; we are doing as much as possible to help, and more importantly, we shall do more,” said Mary Witt, US Consul-General in Karachi.

A statement of the US embassy on Thursday said that more than 800 US emergency management personnel, medical teams and engineers were in Pakistan to assist in the relief efforts and the US remained the principal international provider of airlift capabilities.

Twenty-three US helicopters are currently engaged in relief operations launched by the Pakistan government, the UN and other relief organizations.

—APP