WASHINGTON, Oct 19: Twelve US helicopters have carried out 168 sorties for delivering relief goods to the Oct 8 earthquake victims in Pakistan and rescued 2,500 people.

US Air Force Chief of Staff General Michael Mosely told reporters in Washington that two Navy ships had also arrived in Karachi bearing heavy machinery, earthquake relief equipment and other supplies.

“The reach and mobility of the Air Force allows the United States to provide aid and assistance in the wake of a humanitarian disaster more swiftly than any other nation in the world,” said Gen. Mosely. “Currently the US military is concentrating its humanitarian assistance efforts in South Asia and Central America.”