How NDRF pulled off its heroic rescue operation in Turkey. A small tale

The final batch of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) returned to India from Turkey last Saturday after undertaking relief and rescue operations in the disaster-struck areas. India was one of the first countries to dispatch its dedicated disaster relief team to the area. However, to achieve the feat, it took a monumental effort from all the stakeholders involved.

According to reports, out of the 152 passports issued, only a few officers had diplomatic passports, which allowed them to travel to a foreign land. Most NDRF personnel did not possess a passport and it took some planning to prepare the paperwork for all.

"The Consular Passport and Visa (CPV) division of the Ministry of External Affairs prepared passports for our rescuers overnight. They processed hundreds of documents in minutes as the Indian government directed the NDRF to proceed to Turkey,"NDRF Inspector General (IG) N S Bundela told reporters.

The documents required to furnish the passport were sent from the NDRF teams in Kolkata and Varanasi using fax and email. It was a race against time as every second lost here could have been used to save a precious life, struggling for help under the debris.

After the passports were sorted, Turkey offered visas on arrival to the workers who were immediately placed in the Gaziantep province - the epicentre of the earthquake.

Dubbed Operation Dost, it was an operation that required the collaboration of both mind and spirit from the officials and rescue workers. Constable Sushma Yadav, a paramedic, who wasdispatched to the quake-hit area, became the embodiment of the same.

The 32-year-old was among the five women rescuers to have been sent to the disaster combat zone. She left her 18-month-old twins behind, without giving a second thought and reported for duty. When quizzed about what prompted her decision, Yadav said it was her 'duty'.

"Because if we do not do it, who will? I and another male colleague were the two paramedics of the NDRF team. Our job was to keep our rescuers safe, healthy and nourished so that they can do their work without getting sick in the sub-zero temperature which fell as much as minus 5 degrees in Turkey," Yadav was quoted as saying by PTI.

Watch |Hundreds dead, many trapped as major earthquake jolts Turkey, Syria

The entire exercise was full of emotional, professional and personal challenges for the NDRF team. However, they persevered and saw humanity in its finest spirit amid chaos and dust.

"Ahmed somehow got to know I am a vegetarian. For days, he kept following my place of deployment anywhere I was working in Nurdagi and secretly handed over anything vegetarian he had like an apple or a tomato. He peppered it with salt or local spices to make it tasty," said Deputy Commandant Deepak about a local resident who looked after him.

The majority of the local population did not speak Hindi or English and yet they were able to communicate using the language of humanity and respect.

Over a fortnight ago, Turkey and Syria were rocked by one of the most powerful earthquakes in recent memory that has already taken the lives of over 44,000.

Buildings were flattened across the landscape as thousands died in the dead of the night. The rescue operation may have slowed down now but no one will ever forget the contribution of NDRF during the peak of the disaster.

(With inputs from agencies)

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