Another batch of relief goods from India on way to Türkiye

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - As people in India continue to come forward to donate for the earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria, another batch of relief goods was sent to Türkiye, the Turkish ambassador to India said on Monday.

“Another batch of emergency in-kind donations from the people of India is on the way to Türkiye,” Ambassador Firat Sunel said on Twitter.

He also said Turkish Airlines "carries the aid on a daily basis to the earthquake-hit region, free of charge."

Thanking India’s people for the donations, Sunel said: “Each tent, each blanket or sleeping bag is of vital importance for the hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors."

The Indian government is sending relief materials, medicines, equipment, and rescuers to earthquake-hit Türkiye and Syria under Operation Dost (Friendship Operation).

The government has sent a total of seven flights to the two quake-hit nations so far.

Meanwhile, people continue to turn out in large numbers with relief goods and donations for the people of Türkiye.

Pragya Srivastava, a New Delhi resident, told Anadolu no one can ignore the wailing infants and bereaved families.

“I am donating blankets, medicines, clothes, and some money,” she said. “People in both Türkiye and Syria need help. Since disasters don’t have any boundaries, human hearts shouldn’t have any,” she said.

Indian philanthropist Surinder Pal Singh Oberoi told Anadolu that they are in the process of sending an 8-member team to Türkiye that includes doctors as well.

“The teams with medicines will provide every help to the earthquake-hit people,” he said.

At least 31,643 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye last week, the country's disaster agency said on Sunday.

Last Monday’s magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, 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 less than 10 hours.