Indonesian governor thanks Turkey over aid efforts

A governor in disaster-hit Indonesia thanked Turkey on Thursday for rushing to aid the victims.

In a statement, Ridwan Kamil, governor of West Java, thanked Turkey for helping disaster victims of the Sunda Strait after it was hit by tsunami on Saturday.

Kamil recalled that the Turkish nation always helped Indonesia recover after any disaster that occurred in the country, and emphasized the importance of Muslim brotherhood.

He also expressed gratitude for the country's generosity and benevolence.

At least 430 people have been killed and 159 are still missing after a tsunami, triggered by a volcano, smashed into Indonesia's Sunda Strait coast on Saturday, according to the latest figure of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNDP).

Officials estimate that at least 1,455 people were injured while around 16,000 others were displaced in the tsunami which damaged more than 882 houses.

"We've delivered aid materials such as food and medicine to 3,000 people in the region so far," Cemal Şahin, Turkey-based Hayrat Foundation's Indonesia official, told Anadolu Agency.

"We also gave tents to those who lost their houses," Şahin added.

Mücahit Demir, an official of Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) in Southeast Asia, said the agency distributed aid, including shelter, food and personal care items to 7,500 people in the region.

After a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country's Sulawesi Island on Sept. 28, which triggered a tsunami in the cities of Donggala and Palu, many Turkish organizations, such as the Turkish Red Crescent and Turkey Diyanet Foundation (TDV), as well as NGOs like the IHH and Hayrat Foundation, had rushed to aid the victims.