Turkey thanked “dost” India for immediately dispatching rescue teams and relief material within 24 hours of the earthquake. 

Syria, which also suffered the tragedy, thanked India for its help.

Dost” is a common word in Turkish and Hindi… We have a Turkish proverb, “Dost kara gunde belli olur” (a friend in need is a friend indeed). Thank you very much India,” he said in a tweet message.

India is among the countries that sent teams for search and rescue operations. After the first earthquake India’s NDRF held a coordination meeting on the instruction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Sunel said

Earlier, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan visited Turkish and Syrian Embassies and expressed condolences. He also conveyed Modi’s sympathy and humanitarian support.

The Indian Army has dispatched a 30-bed field hospital along with a 99-member specialist medical team in two C-17s which departed late in the evening.

The death toll has crossed 5,000 in Turkey and Syria, which were devastated by massive earthquakes on Monday.

Also, a second plane went to Turkey and will land before evening.” “What we need most in the initial hours after the earthquake is search and rescue teams with specially trained dog squads. We really appreciate the sincere and kind help of India.

Fourth IAF C-17 aircraft leaves for Türkiye with the remaining component of the field hospital. This includes 54 members of the Indian Army medical team as well as medical and other equipment to establish the facility. 

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter.

A 45-member Army medical team with components of the field hospital had left a couple of hours prior in another aircraft.

The first two C-17s left with self-contained National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, including dog squads, search and rescue (SAR) equipment, extrication tools and vehicles, the MEA said. “India continues to support the people of Türkiye in their hour of need,” Mr Bagchi had said in an earlier tweet.

“The first 48-72 hours are very important and Indian rescue teams are in the field,” he said.

The field hospital had been mobilised hours after the announcement of assistance by India, the Army said, and Agra-based 60 Para Field Hospital had dispatched a 99-member medical team.

The team comprises critical care specialist teams, including an orthopaedic surgical team, a general surgical specialist team, and medical specialist teams, apart from other medical teams.

The teams are equipped with X-ray machines, ventilators, an oxygen generation plant, cardiac monitors and associated equipment to establish a 30-bedded medical facility, the Army added

On the possibility of Indians being affected by the temblor, the envoy said “So far, we have not received any requests from Indians for rescue after the earthquake in Turkey. The Indian mission in Ankara may have received some requests.”

On the magnitude of the disaster, he said an earthquake of magnitude of 7.7 hits Turkey, and after a couple of hours another earthquake of magnitude 7.6 hit Turkey.

More than 14 million people were affected in southeastern Turkey, and it is a big disaster. 21,103 injured, almost 6,000 buildings collapsed, and three airports were damaged, the envoy said.

Syrian ambassador to India Bassam Al-Khatib said, “When I started getting calls from Damascus, I started coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and they soon responded. It was only a question of some hours and the MEA told me that they are ready, have the plan to help Syria and send the relief and equipment fast.”

He also said India from the moment the disaster stuck expressed the wish to be with Syria.”