Grameenphone offers free calls to quake-hit Turkey, Syria

Grameenphone has extended its support by offering free outgoing calls from Bangladesh to Turkey and Syria for the next three days, enabling anxious family and friends here to remain in constant touch with their loved ones stuck in the earthquake-hit regions, said a press release on Sunday.

"With the spirit of connecting people with what matters most to them now, Grameenphone has waived all International Subscriber Dialing (ISD) outgoing call charges towards Turkey and Syria till 15 February," the telecom operator said in the media release.

Rescue efforts are underway as the death toll from the massive quake in Turkey and northwestern Syria on 6 February crossed 29,000 as of Sunday evening, reports Al Jazeera.

The government of Bangladesh has expressed deep condolences and dispatched assistance while people from all walks of life have shown solidarity with the affected.

However, Grameenphone said it is the first respondent from the Bangladeshi telco industry to step up with such an offer of free international calls to Turkey and Syria.