“The sixth #OperationDost flight reaches Türkiye,” India’s Minister of External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar tweeted this morning.
“Operation Dost” is the name given to India’s ongoing relief and rescue operation for the quake-stricken countries of Türkiye and Syria.
The outpour of international response and relief material from all across the world for Türkiye and Syria, which are coping with the aftermath of a devastating quake — the biggest natural disaster of the decade — is a ray of hope for humanity.
India, running on the forefront in this international response, was one of the first countries to send out assistance. India since Feb 7 has dispatched six flights with specialist search and rescue teams with dog squads and an army mobile hospital team to Türkiye.
For Syria, six tonnes of relief materials, including general and protective gear, emergency use medicines, syringes, ECG machines, monitors and essential medical items were ferried using Indian Air Force’s A C-130 Hercules military aircraft earlier on Feb 7.
Over 100 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force and a 99-member team took off on four different C-17 Globemaster heavy lift aircrafts from the Army’s Agra-based army field hospital to Türkiye.
This field hospital in Hatay, Türkiye will treat those affected by the earthquake.
Our team of medical & critical care specialists and equipment are preparing to treat emergencies. #OperationDost https://t.co/YVwxfJoJEf pic.twitter.com/bIsNxWxkHf
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 8, 2023
The 99-member Indian Army team includes critical care specialists, orthopaedic and general surgeons, and is equipped with X-ray machines, ventilators, oxygen generation plant and other equipment. It has since established a 30-bed medical facility at Hatay, Türkiye. NDRF on the other hand have sent units that have special equipment for the detection, location, access, and extrication of people trapped under rubble.
Turkish ambassador to India Firat Sunel expressed appreciation for the support provided by India during an interaction with the press. “This is an example of good friendship and we appreciate India’s timely help. Indian experts are now in the field,” he said.
Sunel said earlier in a tweet that “dost” (friend) is a common word in Turkish and Hindi. “We have a Turkish proverb: ‘Dost kara günde belli olur’ (a friend in need is a friend indeed),” he added.
The combined death toll in the quake-hit regions rose to more than 12000. At least 150,000 people have been left homeless and about 6,000 buildings collapsed in Türkiye.
With inputs from IANS
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