Three devastating earthquakes of 7.8, 7.6 and 6.0 magnitude struck Turkey’s South-eastern region bordering Syria in the early hours of 6 February. These were followed by a massive aftershock of 5.6 that hit on Tuesday.
The widespread destruction and ensuing death toll have, as expected in any major disaster, overwhelmed the local administration—there can never be enough responders in a major disaster.
As countries scrambled to assist Turkey, India was among the first to rush to assistance, prompting the Turkish Ambassador to India Firat Sunel to thank PM Narendra Modi, adding, ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’.