Dispatched servicemen ready for the mission in Turkey. (Photo: VNA)

At a conference in Hanoi on February 10, Maj. Gen. Pham Van Ty, Deputy Director of the Department of Search and Rescue and Deputy Chief of the Office of the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response, Search and Rescue, was assigned to assume the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) forces in humanitarian and relief operations in Turkey.

The ministry also asked the General Department of Logistics to prepare 10 tonnes of dried food for the Turkish people.

Chief of the VPA General Staff and Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong said as there is no direct flight service between Vietnam and Turkey, units concerned are working with the Turkish Embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnamese Embassy in Turkey to arrange a flight carrying the Vietnamese servicemen to the country.

On the occasion, Cuong urged the dispatched servicemen to stay disciplined, actively overcome difficulties and accomplish tasks assigned by the Party, State and army, to leave a good impression on the Turkish authorities and people as well as international friends.

The quake was the most devastating disaster to shake Turkey since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake. As of February 10, last week's earthquake claimed 21,000 lives, leaving thousands more 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.