Qatar deploys forces to Turkey as part of humanitarian air bridge

Doha news is travelling with Qatari first responders and rescue workers as they deploy to earthquake-stricken Turkey.

(Al Udeid Airbase, Qatar) Qatar has equipped Lekhwiya forces on a search and rescue mission to respond to Turkey’s deadly earthquakes on Tuesday.

Thousands have been killed and injured by the catastrophe, with the World Health Organization warning the death toll is likely to rise as more are pulled from the rubble.

Two deadly earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, annihilating numerous buildings, leaving thousands dead and hundreds of thousands without shelter.

Qatar’s appointed International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Force has been provided with aid supplied by Qatar Charity and the Qatar Fund for Development.

Hundreds of troops are being prepared to be flown out on service flights to the southeast of Turkey to deliver relief aid, tents, and winter supplies.

Expected to be a demanding task as the region undergoes aftershocks, Lekhwiya forces are spread in numbers and resources to deliver whatever is possible for those remaining.

Qatari authorities have voiced that the rescue campaign has been launched to respond the devastating issues on the ground.

Qatar sets up humanitarian air bridge as Turkey, Syria earthquake death toll mounts

In a tense environment, the immediate response team shifted urgently toward their charter flights in attendance with local and international journalists at the base on Tuesday.

In a statement, Qatar’s foreign ministry said the first flights of the air bridge were launched per the directives of the Gulf state’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

“The first flights of the air bridge are accompanied by a team from the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) equipped with specialized mechanisms for search and rescue operations, in addition to a field hospital, relief aid, tents, and winter supplies,” the statement communicated.

At least 3,381 people were confirmed dead in Turkey, according to the Anadolu news organisation, placing the disaster as one of the deadliest in the century.