An official statement said the trucks carried more than 700 tons of foodstuffs valued at SR2 million, including rice, flour, cooking oil, milk, beans and lentils, and were distributed in Punjab and Azad Kashmir. “As many as 20,000 flood-hit families will benefit from the aid,” the statement said. “Each family will get 20 kgs of flour, 5 kgs of rice, 2 kgs of lentils, 2 kgs of beans, 5 liters of cooking oil and 2 kgs of powdered milk.

The relief program ordered by King Abdullah will send more supplies to the flood-affected areas every week, the statement said, adding that it will continue for three months. “We’ll distribute a total of 1,000 truckloads of relief supplies among two million people.”

Meanwhile, the Kingdom will continue airlifting relief supplies to Pakistan’s flood victims. On Wednesday and Friday, it will send two planes carrying 100 tons of dates and 100 tons of powdered milk.

Saudi Arabia has set up three camps to accommodate people displaced by the flood in coordination with the Pakistani government.

Earlier in the day, the Kingdom sent medical equipment for the second field hospital to be established in Pakistan. Maj. Gen. Kattab Al-Otaibi, director of medical services at the armed forces, said the second field hospital would have 100 beds, 22 doctors and 93 support staff.

The hospital has departments for ENT, maternity and children, bone surgery, ophthalmology, pediatrics and dermatology, Al-Otaibi said. The facilities of the hospital were transported on eight planes from King Faisal Airbase in Tabuk to Islamabad. In a related development, Saudi Civil Defense officers rescued 573 Pakistanis using boats on Sunday who were taken to safe areas. They also distributed relief supplies among 300 affected families. The civil defense’s medical team provided health services to 150 people.

Maj. Abdullah Al-Harithy, spokesman of the Civil Defense team in Pakistan, said the team held daily meetings with their Pakistani counterparts to coordinate their activities for search and rescue operations.

Meanwhile, Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Aziz Al-Ghadeer said in Karachi that the Kingdom would send the biggest contingent of health care officials and medical units to assist Pakistan in relief activities in flood-hit areas.

Al-Ghadeer said 107 doctors and several medical units are already in Pakistan. He said the Kingdom has established mobile hospitals in Sindh and Punjab.

Saudi Arabia has quietly overtaken the United States as the single largest aid donor in real terms so far. Riyadh’s commitment to helping the victims of Pakistan’s devastating floods has crossed $140 million.

The Saudi military and air force set up a back-to-back air bridge between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The air bridge continues to operate.