The Netherlands is sending a team of experts to southern Asia to assist in search and rescue efforts following Saturday’s earthquake in Nepal. The decision was taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in consultation with the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Security and Justice, in response to a request for assistance made by the Nepalese government and the United Nations. Nepal, in southern Asia, was struck Saturday by the most severe earthquake in over 80 years. There are more than 2,000 confirmed fatalities so far and extensive material damage. The authorities fear that the death toll in the developing country will continue to rise. The quake was centred just 77 km from the densely populated capital city, Kathmandu. Cities and villages near the epicentre are difficult to reach. The seismic event was so powerful that it claimed dozens of lives in the neighbouring countries of India, China and Bangladesh as well. Aid operations in the affected areas are gradually getting started.
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen said, ‘A horrible drama is unfolding in Nepal; people have lost their homes and are uncertain about the fate of their loved ones. We want to help get as many people as possible out from under the rubble as quickly as possible. Our emergency relief workers are experienced and immediately deployable.’ The Dutch Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR.NL) of 62 experts and eight tracker dogs is specialised in finding and extracting victims who are trapped underneath rubble and wreckage. The team is part of a broader EU rescue operation. In their daily lives, they work for fire and ambulance services, the national police and the military, and they include search and rescue personnel, nurses and doctors, tracker dog handlers and structural engineers.
At 20.00 this evening the Dutch team will depart for Kathmandu in a Ministry of Defence KDC-10 transport aircraft. The plane will also be carrying five tonnes of aid supplies for the emergency relief organisation Médecins Sans Frontières. Tomorrow morning at 04.00 Dutch time, the team will arrive on site and begin their work immediately. Speed is of the essence as the greatest chance of finding victims alive is in the first days following an earthquake. Large parts of the affected areas have no water or electricity. The team will be taking blankets, bandages and water with them so they can offer the people they rescue immediate assistance. The team will provide for its own food and shelter to avoid having to use local facilities and supplies.
Ms Ploumen announced that the government would be making four million euros available for humanitarian assistance in Nepal. The funds will be administered by the Dutch Relief Alliance, a partnership of twelve Dutch aid organisations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that was launched on Friday. This alliance was set up to expedite and improve assistance when humanitarian disasters occur. The Dutch NGOs that are already active in Nepal will carry out emergency activities in the affected areas under the auspices of Oxfam Novib.