The government has decided to send medical teams and provide necessary relief materials to the earthquake-hit Turkey.

The decision was taken following a meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and the council of ministers held at the prime minister’s office on Wednesday afternoon, the office of the prime minister’s secretariat said.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal asked for the relief packages to be sent at the earliest, calling Turkey a ‘close friend’ of Nepal who has helped us in times of need.

The cabinet has decided to provide medical personnel, medical and logistical equipment, and other relief packages to Turkey.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, Chief Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi, the Chief of Army Staff, and other dignitaries were in attendance at the meeting.

An earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday, killing more than 9,600 people. Over 31,777 people have been injured in Turkey from the quake while the number of those injured in Syria stands at 3,849.

With the scale of the disaster becoming ever more apparent, the death toll rose above 7,100 in Turkey. In Syria, already devastated by 11 years of war, the confirmed toll climbed to more than 2,500 overnight, according to the Syrian government and a rescue service operating in the rebel-held northwest.