India on Tuesday rushed two plane-loads of relief materials, two teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), comprising 101 personnel with specially trained dog squads and necessary equipment for aiding search and rescue efforts besides mobilising a 99-member medical team of the Army to set up field hospitals in earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria.
The NDRF teams, including five women personnel and canine squad, reached quake-hit Turkey early on Tuesday to help in the rescue operations after a 7.8 magnitude quake killed thousands of people in the country. The teams have been accompanied by two search dogs, four-wheeled vehicles, chipping hammers, cutting tools, first aid medicines and communication setup, officials said. The rescuers are drawn from teams based in Ghaziabad and Kolkata.
And they boarded two Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 aircraft from the Hindon air base in Ghaziabad early morning around 3 am, NDRF officials said. The Indian contingent reached the Adana airport in south Turkey where they will meet a link officer from the Indian Embassy and Turkish Government authorities for further deployment in the affected areas, they said.
The other team comprising 50 personnel also left for Turkey to aid in the Urban Search & Rescue effort there, they added.
“This is part of the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) measures announced by the Indian Government on Monday for the earthquake-hit Turkiye and neighbouring areas,” the NDRF officials said.
The NDRF team will help rescue people trapped under the collapsed structures and render all assistance as required by local authorities and rescuers from other nations. Meanwhile, the Indian Army has also sent a team of 99-member medical teams, mobilised from the Agra based “Field Hospital” medical support to the affected people in the region.
This team will have critical care specialists, including orthopedic surgical team, general surgical specialist team apart from the medical specialist teams. They are equipped with X-ray machines, ventilators, oxygen generation plant, cardiac monitors and associated equipment to establish a 30-bedded medical facility.
Two additional IAF’s C-17 aircraft with medical supplies are also being dispatched later on Tuesday, officials said.
The NDRF has been part of two similar international operations — the 2011 Japan triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown) and the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
The Government on Monday decided to rush NDRF teams along with medical aid and relief material to Turkiye following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions to offer all possible assistance to the disaster-hit country.
The massive earthquake that struck on Monday has killed about 5,000 people and flattened thousands of buildings in Turkiye and neighbouring Syria. The epicenter of the quake was centred in Turkiye’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras and was felt as far away as Cairo.
Further, India has also despatched various equipment, tools and vehicles to search for survivors of the two powerful quakes that badly hit various parts of Turkiye and Syria. Besides India, several other countries around the world have extended help to both the countries in their rescue and recovery efforts. “India expresses its solidarity at this challenging moment,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted. The first C-17 military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force, carrying a group of search and rescue personnel, specially trained dog squads, drilling machines, relief material, medicines landed in Adana in the quake-hit country in the morning.
A second IAF plane with similar consignments left for Turkiye around noon. “First Indian C17 flight with more than 50 @NDRFHQ Search & Rescue personnel, specially trained dog squads, drilling machines, relief material, medicines and other necessary utilities & equipment reaches Adana, Türkiye,” Jaishankar said on Twitter. Both the first and the second aircraft carried search and rescue personnel including from the (NDRF).
“Second @IAF_MCC C-17 with self-contained @NDRFHQ teams including dog squads, search & rescue equipment, extrication tools and vehicles leaves for Türkiye. India continues to support the people of Türkiye in their hour of need,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.
“First batch of earthquake relief material along with NDRF’s special search & rescue teams and trained dog squats just arrived in Türkiye. Thank you India for your support and solidarity,” the Turkish embassy in India tweeted.
One of the most devastating earthquakes to hit Turkiye in more than a century, caused vibrations throughout the area, caused buildings to collapse, and forced people to flee to the streets.
The United States Geological Survey has recorded 24 aftershocks in Turkiye. Effects of the earthquake were felt in Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece, Jordan, Iraq and as far away as Romania, Georgia and Egypt, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre, as reported by the Times of Israel.
Condolences poured in from worldwide after reports of the massive quakes in Turkiye claiming thousands of lives.
