Pakistan-based Edhi Welfare Trust offers to send 50 ambulances to India to help fight COVID surge

KARACHI: Pakistan's philanthropist organisation Edhi Welfare Trust on Friday offered to send 50 ambulances and support staff to India to help the country in combating the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Faisal Edhi, who heads the trust, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said the organisation was closely following the COVID-19 situation in India.

"We are very sorry to hear about the exceptionally heavy impact that the pandemic has had on your country, where a tremendous number of people are suffering immensely," Faisal wrote in the letter made public to the media.

Faisal, who offered to lead the team to India, said the Edhi trust sympathised with the Indian people in difficult times and they could send 50 ambulances and staff to help the people of India. He said the trust would provide fuel, food, and other necessary amenities that their team will require.

India added a record over 3.32 lakh new coronavirus cases in a single day taking the country's tally to 1,62,63,695, while active cases crossed the 24-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

The data updated at 8 am showed that the death toll increased to 1,86,920 with a record 2,263 new fatalities. The country recorded a single day rise of 3,32,730 new cases.

Meanwhile, Pakistan recorded 5,870 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, while 144 more people succumbed to the deadly virus, prompting Prime Minister Imran Khan to seek the help of the Army to support police in enforcing the SOPs for curbing the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

The total number of cases in Pakistan has reached 784,108 and the COVID-19 death toll touched 16,842. Another 4,652 patients were in critical condition.