Bangladesh has sent a special assistance mission to Syria by the Air Force’s transport aircraft C-130J in pursuance of the country’s commitment to global peace and humanitarian assistance to disaster-afflicted humanity as well as in solidarity with the quake-affected people in the Arab country.
The government of Bangladesh dispatched the transport aircraft from Bangabandhu Air Base, Dhaka to Damascus, Syria at 10:30pm on Friday, said a foreign ministry press release issued on Saturday.
The directives of dispatching a special aircraft with relief goods to Syria came from prime minister Sheikh Hasina in view of the fatal earthquake that hit the frontier areas of Turkey and Syria on February 6 claiming more than 24,000 lives and injuring thousands.
The special flight included a rescue team of 17 members from Bangladesh Air force, relief goods and essential medicine, according to the release.
The humanitarian assistance contained 11 tonnes of relief goods which included dry cakes (1,110kg), digestive biscuits (556kg), medicine (930kg), blankets (1,380kg), tents (4,423kg) and winter clothes and sweater (1,390kg).
The flight is scheduled to return to Dhaka on February 13 after handing over the relief goods to the local authority in Syria, said the release.
Earlier on February 8, Bangladesh Air Force dispatched a similar special flight with relief goods and two medical teams and a rescue team with a total of 61 members to Turkey to join rescue operations there.
The Bangladesh joint rescue team, meanwhile, rescued a girl aged 17 alive and recovered three bodies from the rubble in Turkey, said another release from the Fire Service and Civil Defence issued on Friday.
Bangladesh on Thursday observed a one-day state mourning for the deaths of people in the early morning earthquake that ravaged major cities of Turkey and bordering areas of Syria.
The government has already sent condolences over the deaths in the earthquake and said in separate messages that it would stand in solidarity with the brotherly people of Turkey and Syria.
Source : New Age Bangladesh
