Turkish minister lands in Somalia to aid blast victims

Turkey’s health minister arrived in Somali capital Mogadishu on Monday in the wake of a truck bombing that left more than 270 people dead.

Ahmet Demircan flew in to oversee Turkish assistance accompanied by 33 Turkish staff, including a medical team specializing in emergency services, the Turkish Embassy said in a statement.

Saturday’s terror attack was the worst in the war-torn nation’s history, according to Abdisalam Yusuf Guled, the former deputy director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency.

The blast at a busy road junction, blamed on al-Shabaab, killed 276 people and wounded more than 300 others.

The minister’s arrival came as 40 severely wounded victims were airlifted to Turkey for medical treatment.

“The plane has now taken 40 injured and will return as to take other injured,” Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Ahmed told a news conference.

Foreign Minister Yusuf Garaad Omar wrote on Facebook that Turkey had been the first country to send aid.

Demircan was welcomed by Ahmed, Omar, Health Minister Fowsiya Abiikar Nur and other senior government officials.

Demircan said Turkey shared the sadness of Somalis and outlined a plan to treat some of the victims in Turkey.

“Based on instructions given by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, we are working to offer assistance by providing medical aid and transporting casualties to Turkey where they will receive the necessary care,” he told reporters.

[adrotate group=”9″]

Anadolu Agency