On a mission in Turkiye: Serving on the frontlines of a disaster

Facial soft tissue and lip laceration repair under general anaesthesia. — Photos courtesy of the Malaysian Armed Forces

When the massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkiye and Syria on Feb 6, 2023, Malaysia was one of the earliest countries to offer decisive assistance.

The Malaysian government responded swiftly by forming a task force jointly led by the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma). By the night of Feb 6 itself, the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) had been flown to Istanbul and later moved to Adana, Turkiye, for the urgent search and rescue mission.