India has sent emergency relief material and life-saving medicines and equipment worth ₹7 crore to Turkey and Syria, where an earthquake has claimed more than 37,000 lives so far, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.
Highlighting the ministry’s role in the Operation Dost, the government’s aid programme for the two countries, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted, “India is providing assistance to the two countries in the spirit of its age-old tradition of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.”
The Indian government launched Operation Dost to extend assistance to the quake-hit region. Under the operation, the government has also sent search and rescue personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), specially trained dog squads, drilling machines, apart from relief material and emergency medicines.
In an official statement on Tuesday, the health ministry said that on the day the earthquake hit the region, three truckloads of relief material were arranged at the Hindon air base comprising life-saving emergency medicines and protective items within 12 hours.
“The 5,945-ton emergency relief material included 27 life-saving medicines, two kinds of protective items and three categories of critical care equipment, valued at approximately ₹2 crore,” the ministry said in the statement.
Later, on February 10, a bigger tranche of relief material was arranged for both the countries.
The consignment for Syria consisted of 72 critical care drugs, consumables and protective items of 7.3 tons, valued at ₹1.4 crore, while relief material sent to Turkey included 14 types of medical and critical care equipment, valued at ₹4 crore, the statement said.
Earlier on February 7, Turkish ambassador Firat Sunel expressed appreciation for the support provided by India.
In a tweet, he said 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 United Nations, meanwhile, has said that the toll in the region is likely to cross 50,000.