Army medical, NDRF teams land in Turkey with relief material

According to defence officials, three C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the IAF — two carrying NDRF personnel and one carrying an Army medical team — left for Turkey by Tuesday afternoon.

Another C-17 Globemaster carrying an additional Army medical team left in the evening, while a C-130 transport aircraft with medical supplies left for Damascus, Syria, late at night.

In a statement, the Army said the Agra-based 60 Para Field Hospital has dispatched a 99-member medical team. “The medical team comprises critical care specialist teams, including orthopaedic surgical team, general surgical specialist team, medical specialist teams apart from other medical teams,” it said.

The teams are equipped with X-ray machines, ventilators, an oxygen generation plant, cardiac monitors and associated equipment to establish a 30-bed medical facility, it said.

The NDRF said two teams, comprising 101 personnel, along with a four-member canine squad have been sent to help rescue operations. The NDRF has kept two more teams on stand-by.

The 1st batch of earthquake relief material leaves for Turkey. (Twitter/@MEAIndia)

“We have sent our two teams along with four dogs, four-wheeled vehicles, chipping hammers, cutting tools, first-aid medicines and communication set-up. Our first team, including five women personnel, left for Turkey at 3 am on Tuesday in an IAF aircraft,” said NDRF Director General Atul Karwal.

“In every team, there are five women rescuers, a doctor and paramedics. We have also sent some vehicles, especially the light vehicles, with both the teams,” said NDRF DIG (Operations) Mohsen Shahidi.

“All the team members have received training to handle such situations. This is not the first time the NDRF is going out of the country. The NDRF has been part of two similar international operations – the 2011 Japan triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown) and the 2015 Nepal earthquake,” Shahidi said.

According to officials, after reaching the Adana airport in Turkey, the Indian personnel met officials of the Turkish government and Indian Embassy for further deployment to affected areas.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Ambassador to India, Firat Sunel, tweeted: “’Dost’ 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). Thank you very much India.”

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan also visited the Syrian embassy and extended condolences to Ambassador Bassam Al-Khatib.