Interfaith prayer meet held in India for Türkiye’s earthquake victims

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) – An interfaith prayer meet was held in India on Tuesday to offer condolences and solidarity to Turkish people after devastating earthquakes struck southern Türkiye on Feb. 6.

Turkish Embassy in the capital New Delhi said that an interfaith prayer ceremony "has been held in the embassy today to commemorate the earthquake victims in Türkiye."

"Sincere thanks to dost (friends) Indians who stand in solidarity with Turkish people through their donations, letters, and prayers," the embassy wrote on Twitter.

"We hope that our prayers will provide some comfort and solace to the people of Türkiye and that the country will soon recover from the effects of the earthquake," said Dr. Parmeet Singh Chadha, chairman of the World Sikh Chamber of Commerce – a non-profit organization – and one of the participants of the Tuesday's meet.

"We stand with Türkiye during this challenging time and offer our unwavering support and solidarity. These kinds of Humanitarian and peace efforts are the need of the hour and must be supported by all."

Indo Middle East Cultural Forum, an India-based non-profit organization working towards promoting culture, education, and diversity, said Türkiye’s Ambassador to India Firat Sunel joined "Indian religious leaders in an interfaith prayer to express condolences and solidarity on behalf of the Indian people."

While the Indian government immediately launched “Operation Dost” (Friendship Operation) to send rescue teams and relief to earthquake-hit Türkiye and Syria, people from different walks of life in India are coming forward to support and send relief material to earthquake-affected people in Türkiye.

Over 42,000 people were killed by the back-to-back quakes in Türkiye, according to the latest official figures. Thousands of others were injured.

The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the tremors that struck in less than 10 hours.

In Syria, at least 5,840 people have been killed.