Following the announcement of disaster relief response to earthquake hit Turkiye, the Indian Army on Tuesday morning (Feb 7, 2023) has mobilised a Field Hospital which is all set to help provide medical support to the people in the region.
According to the Indian Army, a 99 member medical team has been dispatched from Agra based 60 Para Field Hospital and the team has a critical care specialist – apart from other medical teams there are Medical Specialist Teams, Orthopedic Surgical Team, and General Surgical Specialist Team. Also the teams are equipped with Oxygen generation plant, Cardiac monitors, X-ray machines, ventilators, and associated equipment which will help to establish a 30 bedded medical facility.
India has already dispatched the first batch of earthquake relief material for Turkiye and Syria on board transport aircraft of Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 which took off last night early morning and NDRF Search & Rescue teams are on board too. There are medical supplies, drilling machines, other critical equipment as well as specially trained dog squads.
The relief materials were dispatched following Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring on Monday (Feb 6, 2023) that India will provide “all possible assistance’’ to the earthquake affected people. According to reports in the public domain the meeting was led by PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the PM and it was attended by the Cabinet Secretary and other representatives of relevant ministries. At the meeting a decision was taken to send “search and rescue teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and medical professionals “immediately”.
IAF announces on the Social Media
The IAF announced on its twitter handle that “an IAF C-17 got airborne for Türkiye. Bearing Search & Rescue teams of the NDRF. This aircraft is part of a larger relief effort that will be undertaken by the IAF along with other Indian organizations.”
External affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar said on twitter that the first Indian C-17 flight with more than 50 NDRF Search & Rescue (SAR) personnel, drilling machines, relief material, medicines, specially trained dog squads, and other necessary equipment and utilities and equipment has reached Adana, Türkiye.
He also tweeted that the second plane was getting ready for departure to the earthquake affected country.
According to the IAF this is part of a larger relief effort that is being undertaken by other organizations in India.
Details about the IAF Relief flights
According to reports the first C-17 of IAF took off at around 03.00 AM and the second flight of C-17 was in the process of being loaded with all that is required for dealing with such a disaster.
For Syria the flight of C-130 has gotten slightly delayed which will leave with just medicines and there will be no personnel on board.
More C-17 flights are expected to take off later today, though there is no confirmation yet.
Background
Two countries Turkiye and Syria were hit by massive earthquakes on Monday (Feb 6, 2023) in which hundreds were killed.
Ambassador Firat Sunel of Turkiye has already expressed his gratitude towards the government of India’s offer of assistance and said that “a friend in need is indeed a friend”.
