Bangladesh dispatches special assistance mission to Syria with emergency relief goods 

In pursuance of Bangladesh’s commitment to global peace and providing humanitarian assistance for those in disaster zones, the government dispatched a Bangladesh Air Force C- 130 J transport aircraft from Bangabandhu Air Base, Dhaka to Damascus, Syria on Friday night, reports UNB.

The directives of dispatching a special aircraft with relief goods to Syria came from the prime minister in view of the fatal earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on 6 February, causing a death toll of more than 23,000 and countless injured and displaced.

The special flight includes a rescue team of 17 members from BAF, relief goods and essential medicine.

The humanitarian assistance contained 11 metric tonnes of relief goods which included dry cakes (1,110 kg), digestive biscuits (556 kg), medicine (930 kg), blankets (1,380 kg), tents (4,423 kg) and winter clothes, sweater (1,390 kg).

The flight is scheduled to return to Dhaka on 13 February after handing over the relief goods to the local authority in Syria.

Earlier on 8 February, Bangladesh Air Force dispatched a similar special flight with relief goods and two medical teams and a rescue team comprising 61 members to Turkey.

The team, in addition to distributing relief works, is contributing to rescue efforts in consonance with Turkish national rescue activities.

The president, prime minister and foreign minister issued separate condolence messages to the Syrian president, foreign minister and the bereaved people of Syria.

As a longstanding friend of the Syrian Arab Republic, the condolence messages conveyed profound shock and sympathies to the victims of the earthquakes and the wounded from the government and people of Bangladesh and expressed full solidarity with the brotherly people of Syria at this critical hour.

Similar condolence messages were issued to the Turkish government and people as well expressing sympathies and wishing them early recovery.