Addressing the ceremony, which was attended by senior military and civilian officials, Alghadeer said the camp would accommodate 500 families.
“We’ll supply food to these families throughout the emergency relief program,” the ambassador said, adding that the camp was established on the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
He said the camp was set up as part of the Kingdom’s relief program in Pakistan for flood victims. Saudi Arabia has already launched a program to supply 1,000 truckloads of foodstuffs to two million affected people in various parts of the country.
After opening the camp, Alghadeer inspected its facilities and the condition of refugees there. He also visited the field hospital in Thatta and the medical services being rendered to the public.
The patients who are being treated at the hospital thanked King Abdullah and Saudi people for the humanitarian gesture. Saudi Arabia has been in forefront of nations in helping Pakistan after a devastating flood hit the country last month.
Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif has called upon Saudi banks, companies and businessmen to contribute more to the fund to support Pakistan’s flood victims, considering the terrible situation of people in flood-hit areas.
Prince Naif, who is supervisor of King Abdullah Relief Program for Pakistan, said greater humanitarian and relief efforts were required to save the lives of millions of people affected by the flood.
King Abdullah had earlier ordered a nationwide fundraiser that collected more than SR400 million.
During the two-month-long relief program, 1,000 truckloads of foodstuffs such as rice, flour, cooking oil and milk, beans and lentils will be distributed among the flood victims.
Saudi Arabia has established two field hospitals near the flood-hit areas to provide healthcare services to the victims. It also sent a team of Civil Defense officers to take part in search and rescue operations.
Last month’s flooding is Pakistan’s worst-ever natural disaster in terms of the amount of damage and the number of people affected, with more than six million people forced from their homes, about a million of them in the last few days as the water flows south.
About 1,600 people have lost their lives and properties worth billions of dollars have been destroyed or damaged.
