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- Published: February 20, 2023 19:37
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday interacted with Indian rescue professionals of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other organizations involved in Operation Dost in Turkey.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey’s southeast and neighbouring Syria on February 6, killing more than 45,000 people and leaving more than a million people homeless along with an economic cost expected to run into billions of dollars, reported Al Jazeera.
Interacting with personnel involved in #OperationDost in Türkiye and Syria. Their efforts in disaster response and relief measures have been commendable. https://t.co/D80SShsFn3
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 20, 2023
India was among the first responders to launch search and rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria. India launched Operation Dost to extend assistance to Turkey and Syria after devastating quakes and aftershocks in the region.
The Indian Government sent tons of relief material to both Syria and Turkey in collaboration with the Indian Army as part of the Operation.
Under this, India sent relief materials to Turkey, a mobile hospital, and specialised search and rescue teams.250 Army personnel were also deployed in the worst-hit areas of Turkey and Syria.
Three self-sustaining teams of the NDRF, numbering more than 150 specially trained personnel, along with Rambo and his friends (of the dog squad), specialised vehicles, and other supplies, also reached Turkey. Specialised equipment and other relief materials weighing over 135 tonnes too reached Turkey.
India sent emergency medicines and equipment including portable ECG machines, patient monitors, and other essential medical items to Syria.
The NDRF teams rendered assistance in rescue operations at Gaziantep while the medical team set up the field hospital in Iskenderun. The army field hospital in Iskenderun, Hatay, Turkey started functioning by running Medical, Surgical & Emergency Wards; X-Ray Lab and Medical Store.
When asked about sending aid to Syria when the country has been under US sanctions, the government said India follows the G-20 mantra of “One Earth, One Family, One Future.”