India to send search and rescue, medical teams and relief to quake-hit Turkey

Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded to a tweet on the earthquake by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by saying he was anguished by the loss of lives and damage to property. Modi also offered all possible assistance to cope with the situation

India on Monday said it will immediately send search and rescue and medical teams with relief materials to earthquake-hit Turkey after a 7.8-magnitude quake killed more than 600 people and injured thousands.

Over 600 people have been killed so far and thousands injured after 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey on early Monday (Twitter Photo)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded to a Tweet on the earthquake by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan saying he was anguished by the loss of lives and damage to property. Modi also offered all possible assistance to cope with the situation.

“Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. India stands in solidarity with the people of Turkey and is ready to offer all possible assistance to cope with this tragedy,” PM Modi said in a tweet.

In another Tweet, PM Modi said that he was “deeply pained” to learn the earthquake had also affected Syria. “My sincere condolences to the families of the victims. We share the grief of Syrian people and remain committed to providing assistance and support in this difficult time,” he said.

Following Modi’s instructions to offer all possible assistance to Turkey, a meeting chaired by PK Mishra, principal secretary to the PM, decided to immediately dispatch search and rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and medical teams along with relief materials, the external affairs ministry said.

“Two teams of NDRF comprising 100 personnel with specially trained dog squads and necessary equipment are ready to be flown to the earthquake-hit area for search and rescue operations. Medical teams are also being readied with trained doctors and paramedics with essential medicines,” the ministry said.

The teams and the relief materials will be dispatched in coordination with the Turkish government and the Indian embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul.

The meeting chaired by Mishra was attended by the cabinet secretary, representatives of the ministries of home affairs, external affairs, defence, civil aviation and health, NDRF and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The NDRF is a specialised force that responds to disasters, while the NDMA is the apex body for disaster management.

More than 600 people were killed and thousands of others injured in Turkey and Syria after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey early on Monday. The quake has been one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, and multiple strong aftershocks were felt across the region, including as far away as Lebanon and Israel.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) called on the world community to help in urban search and rescue operations.