Abandoned articles sent to Van

Over 27,000 abandoned articles of clothing and blankets stored in customs depots in Istanbul have been sent as relief aid to the eastern province of Van, which has seen massive destruction since a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the area on Oct. 23.

Customs and Trade Minister Hayati Yazıcı issued a notice for the materials to be sent to quake survivors in Van to aid relief efforts there, said Kadir Gündoğdu, the Istanbul Liquidation Management Regional Director.

The materials were intercepted at customs entries and destined for liquidation in accordance with existing regulations on customs and smuggling. A tender had already been placed before to put them up for retail sale, according to reports.

The first batch of aid will be arriving in Van with a trailer truck containing some 27,776 articles of clothing and blankets.

Items still in usable condition were sorted out from among articles stored in 475 warehouses across Istanbul, while the distribution of the aid will be jointly coordinated by the Van Governor’s Office and the Ministry of Customs and Trade, according to Gündoğdu.

Among the articles waiting to be sent to Van are also toys worth some 1.5 million Turkish Liras in total and which can fill up to six trailer trucks, but the authorities are still waiting for an affirmative health report to ship them off to quake survivors, Gündoğdu said.