Seized goods go to quake victims

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Minister of Customs and Trade Hayati Yazıcı said $2.2 million Turkish Liras worth of confiscated goods have been sent to earthquake victims in Van over the past five months.

The government has been sending truckloads of goods to the earthquake-affected area since Oct. 29, 2011. Tea, sugar, cake, chicken, and rice were among the items sent in the preliminary shipment in October. On Nov. 1, trucks carrying jackets, shirts, sweaters, shoes and underwear arrived in Van, with a total value of 420,000 liras. Later shipments included furniture, door locks, hoses, and other useful household items.

Yazıcı said that in the coming days, his ministry would be sending 26,200 toys to the region, valued at 400,000 liras. Yazıcı said the shipments would continue, and that various agencies were working in tandem to distribute them.

“If our citizens in Van have needs arising from the tough winter conditions, we can’t sit idle in Ankara,” Yazıcı said.