India sends National Defence Response Force to Turkey, following massive earthquakes
India sends National Defence Response Force to Turkey, following massive earthquakes

New Delhi, India: Following two fatal earthquakes that struck the nation, a team from India’s National Defence Response Force arrived in Gaziantep, Turkey, and began the search and rescue effort.

In a video, Indian rescue crews can be seen working at the earthquake’s epicentre in Turkey.

At 04:17 local time on Monday (01:17 GMT), a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near the city of Gaziantep occurred at a depth of 17.9 kilometres. Within nine hours, the Elbistan neighbourhood of Kahramanmaras was shaken by a second earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6.

A local news agency claimed on Wednesday that the death toll from the fatal earthquake on Monday had risen to more than 9,000 and that 52,000 people had been injured. It also stated that more than 100,000 rescuers were searching through the rubble across ten Turkish provinces for survivors.

There are numerous examples from the recent history of India organising emergency relief and support to nations affected by natural calamities. And in response to Turkey’s fervent plea for help, New Delhi has sent four medical assistants there. Additionally, six Indian aircraft carrying a field hospital and humanitarian goods started departing for Turkey and Syria.

India is sending search as well as rescue teams, a field hospital, supplies, medical supplies, and equipment to Turkey and Syria as part of “Operation Dost.” We will provide updates as soon they become available, said S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, in a tweet on Wednesday.

The number of fatalities is anticipated to increase further, according to aid organisations and rescuers, as many people are still beneath the wreckage.

As efforts for rescue continue in the disaster-stricken nations, CNN reported that the current death toll from the Turkey-Syria earthquake is 9,487. As part of its Tuesday humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts, India sent the fourth batch of supplies, which included 54 members of the Indian Army’s medical team.

Recently, more than 6 tonnes of urgent relief supplies arrived in Syria and were welcomed by Moutaz Douaji, the deputy minister of local administration and the environment, at the airport in Damascus. According to a formal declaration from the Ministry of External Affairs, it contained three truckloads of protective gear, emergency use medications, ECG equipment, and other medical supplies.

India had sent 6 tonnes of emergency relief aid through a special aircraft of the Indian Airforce to Syria in the wake of an earthquake that rocked Northwest Syria on February 6, 2022, resulting in significant destruction and the loss of life.

Through bilateral and multilateral avenues, India has provided Syria with technical, developmental, and humanitarian support over the years. Occasionally, particularly during the epidemic, food and medicine shipments have been sent to Syria.

According to an MEA statement, two Artificial Limb Fitment Camps (Jaipur Foot) have been scheduled for Syria, first in December 2020 and most recently in October-November 2022.