Under the initiative of ‘Operation Dost’ the Sixth plane from India carrying rescue personnel, medical equipment and other essential commodities for earthquake relief efforts has reached Turkey, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.
Source- The Daily Guardian
Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar wrote, “The sixth #OperationDost flight reaches Turkiye. More search and rescue teams, dog squads, essential search & access equipment, medicines and medical equipment ready for deployment in the relief efforts.
India launched ‘Operation Dost’ to extend assistance to Turkey as well as Syria following Monday’s devastating quake that killed more than 15,000 people and left thousand others injured.
Turkey’s Ambassador to India Firat Sunel has described Operation Dost as a “very important operation” and demonstrated the friendship between the two nations. Mr. Sunel made the remarks at the Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad from where Indian Air Force’s C17 Globemaster aircraft with the NDRF team, medical equipment, relief equipment, took off for Turkey, as part of the ongoing ‘Operation Dost.’
Source- Money Control
Calling Operation Dost “helpful”, Turkey’s Ambassador to India added, “What we would need in Turkey, especially in the first 72 hours is search and rescue actions together with emergency medical aid and everything is, you know, the start of the operation Dost, it includes search and rescue teams and emergency medical aid. That’s why it is very helpful.”
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, who was also present at the Hindon Airbase, has said that India stands ready to extend support to the people of earthquake-hit Turkey.
On February 6, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkiye and Syria was followed by a string of aftershocks that led to significant destruction, left scores of people dead, and infrastructure in both nations affected.
Following the deadly earthquakes on 6 February the death toll in Turkey and adjoining Syria have surpassed 15,000 lives in both countries. Earlier on Wednesday, the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi said that the field hospital under ‘Operation Dost’ has been set up at Iskenderun, Hatay province in Turkiye by the Indian Army.
