Vietnam has sent a group of 76 military officers to assist search and rescue operations in earthquake-ravaged Turkey four days after a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the country and Syria.

The officers who are well-trained in international assistance brought rescue dogs and dozens of tons of survival kits and modern equipment to the Central Asian country one day after a group of 24 Vietnamese police officers went there for search operations in Adiyaman, Southeastern Turkey.

The army officers include medics and those from the Corps of Engineers, Border Guard Command, and Logistics Command.

They also brought 10 tons of military rations to donate to the Turkish people.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnamese Army and Deputy Minister of Defense, said the dispatch is necessary to affirm Vietnam’s responsibilities in international rescue operations and humanitarian assistance.

The quake claimed more than 25,000 lives in the two countries and their governments are calling for disaster relief from the international community.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnamese Army, talks with army officers before the departure. Photos: VietNamNet

Modern equipment to be transported to Turkey.

Rescue dogs will join search operations in Turkey.

Officers check food prepared for the team.