Turkey-Syria earthquake: Why does India’s assistance matter? | In Focus podcast

In Focus by The Hindu

On February 6, an earthquake measuring a massive 7.8 on the Richter scale hit Southern Turkey and parts of Syria, followed by a second quake of the same magnitude a few hours later. The death toll from the earthquake has risen to 17,000 but there’s a fear that many more bodies are under the rubble, the death toll could rise sharply.

The scale of the devastation has been immense- the worst such in the region in nearly a century.

In Turkey, the cities of Antakya and Gazantiep are amongst the worst hit, and in Syria Alleppo and Idlib, and the destruction of buildings and roads have also cut off communication with many parts. A global rescue effort is underway for Quake hit Turkiye and Syria- where the deathtoll is in the thousands already- What are the factors that are making this rescue difficult? How is India helping? Will India’s assistance be a diplomatic gamechanger?