India sends relief material, equipment, doctors to quake-hit Turkiye, Syria

For worst hit Turkiye, where over 4,000 people have perished in Monday's quake, India sent four Indian Air Force C-17 planeloads of relief material, equipment and personnel, weighing over 108 tons.

These include: Self-contained search and rescue units of NDRF numbering over 100 personnel, with their equipment, vehicles and dog squads.

These units have specialized equipment for detection, location, access and extrication, and are able to conduct collapsed structure search and rescue (CSSR) operations.

Equipment includes hand and power tools, lighting equipment, air-lifting bags, chainsaw, angle cutters, rotary rescue saw, victim location equipment, life detectors, etc.

The dog squads will help locate victim in rubble and collapsed structures, an official statement said late on Tuesday night.

Equipment and 99 personnel to set up a 30-bed medical facility in field operation conditions. Personnel comprises medical specialists in various fields. Medical equipment includes x-ray machines, ventilators, operation-theater, vehicles, ambulances, generators, etc.

For Syria, Over 6 tons of relief material including three truckloads of general and protective gear, emergency use medicines, syringes and equipment including ECG machines, monitors, and other essential medical items were sent.

EAM S Jaishankar in a late night tweet posted that an IAF flight “carrying 6 tons of Emergency Relief Assistance has taken off for Syria.

“Consignment consists of life saving medicines and emergency medical items.

“India stands in solidarity with those most affected by this tragedy.”

Earlier, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a tweet said that the fourth IAF plane had left for Turkiye with the remaining equipment to set up a field hospital.

“This includes 54 members of the Indian Army medical team as well as medical and other equipments to establish the facility.”