Vietnam on Thursday decided to send 100 police officers and soldiers to Turkey to help with relief efforts following deadly earthquakes that have so far killed more than 21,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

The 100 officers and soldiers include 24 officials from the Ministry of Public Security, five officers from the Ho Chi Minh City Firefighting Police, and 71 individuals from the Ministry of National Defense.

All of the Vietnamese rescuers have been trained in the rescue work and have field experience.

“We expect to apply such experience effectively in this mission,” said Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh from the Ho Chi Minh City Firefighting Police, an officer dispatched to Turkey.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, the two earthquakes and hundreds of subsequent aftershocks on Monday caused huge human and property losses in Turkey.

It is the worst disaster to have hit the country since 1939.

As of Thursday, the death toll had amounted to over 21,000. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of houses have been damaged and 13.5 million people have been affected by the earthquakes.

The Vietnamese rescuers sent to Turkey will support in searches for victims and provide humanitarian assistance to local residents so that they can recover from the disaster and re-stabilize their lives.

Minister of Public Security To Lam said Vietnamese officials will contribute Vietnam’s support in the rescue work in Turkey and demonstrate the Southeast Asian country’s commitment to being a responsible nation that is willing to help solve difficulties and challenges and ensure peace and stability in the region and the world as a whole.

Lieutenant General To An Xo, spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Security, said this is the first time the Ministry of Public Security has sent a rescue delegation to a country that is far from Vietnam.

These rescue workers, considered as peace messengers, will be honored by the Turkish people and international friends.

The mission will also offer them the opportunity to learn from rescue workers from around the world, Xo stressed.

Vu Duy Hung from the firefighting and rescue training center under the Ministry of Public Security, an official detached to Turkey, said he wanted to quickly arrive in Turkey to help residents there deal with the aftermath of the earthquakes.

“I have repeatedly taken part in the rescue work in Vietnam. However, this is the first time I have been sent to a faraway country. I feel proud to be entrusted with an international mission," Hung said.

“I had only two hours to prepare for the trip.”

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