KARACHI, Nov 8: As many as 6,962 relief and rescue workers from over 80 countries have so far arrived in the country since the October 8 devastating earthquake. Sources told Dawn that a total of 775 flights, including 555 special and chartered flights, were handled by the special control rooms of the Federal Investigation Agency at the Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi airports and Chaklala Airbase.

They said the largest number of special flights with relief and rescue workers and relief goods i.e. 518 landed at Islamabad airport. Twenty seven such flights landed at the Lahore airport and 10 flights at Peshawar airport, the sources said. These special flights carried as many as 5,337 relief and rescue workers from over 80 countries, the sources said.

They said the countries which had sent relief aid and workers through special and chartered flights included Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungry, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Latvia, Libya, Malaysia, Moldova, Netherlands, Nepal, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, south Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Ukraine, United States of America, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Besides, the sources said, as many as 1,571 relief and rescue workers and relief aid also arrived in the country through 220 commercial flights. They included nationals of Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Canada, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Uganda and Ukraine.

Additional Director General (Immigration) Tariq Khosa told Dawn that separate counters had been established at the country’s international airports to facilitate arrival of relief and rescue workers, including doctors and paramedics, who were being issued landing permits by immigration staff.

According to the sources, as many as 32 Iranians and 22 Indians entered the country through land routes to join the relief and rescue operation in the earthquake-hit areas.

They said that seven special chartered flights carrying 10 relief workers from the UK, the USA and Nato landed at Islamabad airport during the past week. These flights included three cargo flights. Besides, 206 relief and rescue workers, hailing from Nepal, Spain, the UK and Ukraine, arrived in the country through four commercial flights landing at Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi airports.