Indians open their hearts to Türkiye, pledge to help earthquake victims

By Shuriah Niazi and Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - People from different walks of life in India are stepping up to support and send material to earthquake-affected people in Türkiye, where thousands lost their lives from the deadly quakes on Monday.

Under its Operation Dost, launched to send relief to earthquake-hit Türkiye and Syria, the Indian government has already sent flights carrying relief material, rescue personnel, and medical teams to Türkiye.

Apart from several organizations, help from individuals is increasing as many in India are pledging to help quake-hit Türkiye. The Turkish Embassy in New Delhi is receiving aid and relief from various sectors of society.

In Pune in the western state of Maharashtra, members of the Muslim community are collecting funds.

“I’ve seen heart-wrenching visuals of earthquakes shared on social media. It’s our duty to stand with them in this time of need. I along with many families in my city have contributed and we pray to the almighty to end the hardship of those affected by this disaster,” teacher Ruhi Fatima told Anadolu.

She said that even small children in the city are donating to this cause from their savings.

- Blankets, medicine, money

In the city of Nagpur, many individuals are contributing to Türkiye. People plan to buy blankets and medicine so that they can be sent to Türkiye through their consulates.

Sanjeev Shrivastava, an executive in a private firm in Nagpur, contributed medicine to an individual who is mobilizing resources to be sent to Türkiye.

“I’ve seen people individually coming forward to help the victims. They are not only contributing relief material but also cash so that it can be sent for the victims,” said Sanjeev.

The Professionals Solidarity Forum, a group based in the city of Hyderabad, also appealed to people to come forward to help victims of earthquakes.

The group said: “It’s time to help our brothers in Turkey who are suffering immensely from the earthquake. You can imagine the condition of families who recently lived a comfortable life and all of a sudden they lost their houses and all belongings.”

They posted a list of items to which individuals can contribute.

The government of the southern state of Kerala on Wednesday announced that the government will give 100 million rupees ($1.25 million) in earthquake relief for Türkiye and Syria.

In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, people gathered outside mosques on Friday and prayed for the people of Turkiye affected by earthquakes. Hundreds of worshippers expressed solidarity.

Syed Tanveer Ahmad, the media secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a group based in the capital New Delhi, told Anadolu that people from various parts of the country are eager to contribute to people in Türkiye.

"We’re in touch with the concerned authorities here and every effort is made by us so that relief is sent to people in Türkiye. Everyone is eager to contribute to show solidarity with the people of Türkiye," he said, adding that relief would be sent through the Turkish Embassy in Delhi.

At least 21,800 people were killed and 80,000 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to the latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, also including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of fewer than 10 hours.