Chief of the VPA General Staff and Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyễn Tấn Cương and servicemen sent to Turkey. — VNA/VNS PhotoTrọng Đức

HÀ NỘI — A 30-member military medicine team, together with about 20 tonnes of relief goods and equipment, are now ready to depart for Turkey to assist the country in emergency and treatment efforts following the devastating earthquake.

During a conference in Hà Nội on February 11, the General Department of Logistics assigned tasks to the military medicine team, among 76 Vietnamese military personnel dispatched to Turkey.

As one of the 30 members of the team, Lieut. Col Văn Trọng Trung, deputy head of the Military Hospital 354’s Orthopedic Department, said all medical equipment such as machinery, medicines and surgery devices as well as personal items have been fully prepared to meet winter conditions in Turkey.

In particular, six working dogs and their nine trainers will be deployed for search and rescue in the European country.

At a conference held on February 10, Chief of the General Staff of Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyễn Tấn Cương said as there is no direct flight service between Việt Nam and Turkey, units concerned are working with the Turkish Embassy in Việt Nam and the Vietnamese Embassy in Turkey to arrange a flight carrying the Vietnamese soldiers to the country.

The quake was the most devastating disaster to shake Turkey since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake. As of February 11, the earthquake claimed over 24,000 lives, left thousands injured, and destroyed thousands of houses. Local authorities have declared a state of emergency that requires urgent search and rescue missions.

As one of the world's most active earthquake zones, Turkey experienced several strong earthquakes in the past, including the one with a magnitude of 7.4 in 1999 that was the most severe in decades, resulting in over 17,000 fatalities. The most recent 7-magnitude earthquake occurred in October 2022 in Aegean, causing 114 deaths and over 1,000 injured. — VNS