India To Send NDRF Rescue Teams, Relief Material To Earthquake-Hit Turkey

New Delhi: The Indian government will immediately dispatch search and rescue teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), medical teams and relief material to earthquake-hit Turkey.

Two massive earthquakes hit southern Turkey within hours on Monday, killing around 1,300 people in Turkey and Syria besides injuring thousands.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instruction to offer all possible assistance to Turkey, his principal secretary PK Mishra held a meeting in South Block to discuss immediate relief measures, PTI reported.

The high-level meeting, attended by Cabinet secretary, representatives of Ministries of Home Affairs, Defence, External Affairs, Civil Aviation, Health & Family Welfare besides NDMA and NDRF, decided that 2 NDRF teams, comprising 100 personnel with specially-trained dog squads and necessary equipment, will fly to Turkey for search and rescue operations, an official statement said.

Medical teams with trained doctors and paramedics with essential medicines are also being readied so that they can be flown as early as possible.

Relief material will be dispatched in coordination with Turkish government and Indian embassy in Ankara and Consulate General office in Istanbul, the statement added.