Employee of Bengaluru company missing in quake-hit Turkey

The man has not been traced in the last two days; the MEA is in touch with his family and office

An employee of a Bengaluru-based company is missing at Malatya in quake-hit Türkiye.

Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) at the MEA, on Wednesday told journalists in New Delhi that a citizen of India was on a business tour to Malatya in southeastern Türkiye when the devastating earthquakes hit the transcontinental nation as well as neighbouring Syria. "He has not been traced in the last two days. We are in touch with his family and the company in Bengaluru which employs him," said Verma.

Malatya is one of the cities which were hit hard by the devastating earthquakes that rocked Türkiye and Syria early on Monday.

Also read | One Indian missing, 10 stuck in quake-hit Turkey: MEA

The Embassy of India in Ankara is ascertaining the well-being of the citizens of India in the affected region in Türkiye, particularly in Adana, Gaziantep, Malatya and Kahramanmaras provinces, which were the most affected due to the earthquake. The embassy has also set up a Help Desk. “While serious logistical constraints such as road conditions, inclement weather and the ongoing rescue operations limit options, our officials are reaching out to some ten Indian nationals, who are reportedly stranded,” the MEA stated in a press release issued on Wednesday.

Verma confirmed that the 10 Indians stranded in the remote areas in Türkiye were safe. “We have received calls from around 75 people asking our embassy there about information and assistance,” he said. Three Indians who approached the Government of India were taken to a safe location.

Nearly 3,000 Indians are residing in Türkiye while around 1,800 of them live in and around Istanbul and about 250 in Ankara. The rest are spread all over the country.

New Delhi has launched “Operation Dost” to extend humanitarian assistance to the quake-hit areas in Türkiye and Syria, where over 11,000 people have been killed.

Also Read | NDRF rushes third team to Turkiye; two on ground launch rescue operations

India so far sent more than 250 personnel, including 150 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), specialised equipment, vehicles, medicines and other relief material weighing more than 129 tons to Türkiye onboard five C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

In addition, personnel and equipment have been sent to Türkiye to set up a 30-bed self-sustained field hospital of the Indian Army. This includes a team of 99 specially trained personnel, with essential medicines, advanced equipment, vehicles and ambulances. The hospital will provide for a fully functional Operation Theatre, and facilities such as X-ray and ventilators.

The deployment of our teams in Türkiye is being coordinated with the local authorities through our Embassy, which has set up a Camp Office at Adana. The NDRF teams are rendering assistance in rescue operations at Gaziantep while the medical team is setting up the Field Hospital in Iskenderun,” the MEA stated. “A team of officials of Ministry of External Affairs, two of which are Turkish speaking officers, have been deployed to Türkiye to assist the teams involved in rescue and relief operations.”

India has also extended assistance to Syria. More than six tons of emergency relief assistance has been delivered through a C130J IAF aircraft to Damascus. The consignment includes medicines for emergency use, fluids for hydration, protective gear, general use medicines and medical equipment like ECG machine, patient monitor, The consignment was received by the Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment of Syria, Moutaz Douaji at Damascus airport.

Operation Dost is India’s latest expression of being a first responder, a net security provider, and a country whose Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) response is quick and available to countries not only in the neighbouring region, but also beyond,” the MEA stated.