Channel NewsAsia - 37 minutes
ago
SINGAPORE: Fifty five officers from the Singapore Civil Defence
Force (SCDF) have arrived in China on Friday to help local
authorities in search and rescue efforts.
The death toll from Monday’s 7.9—magnitude quake has left over
22,000 dead, but China said the number is expected to exceed
50,000.
Rescuers are still battling landslides, buckled roads and
collapsed bridges in their efforts to rescue those trapped under
fallen structures.
The Singapore rescue team — codenamed Operation Lion Heart —
includes seasoned officers from the elite Disaster Assistance &
Rescue Team (DART). Four search dogs are also part of this
mission.
The team has brought along a host of rescue equipment like
fibre—optic scopes, life—detector systems and hydraulic cutters and
spreaders.
The Singapore team will link up with local authorities for a
briefing before being deployed to assigned areas to carry out
search and rescue operations.
The contingent is self—sufficient in terms of food, fuel and
equipment as they have packed enough supplies for two weeks.
SCDF maintains a rescue contingent on a 24—hour standby to
provide rescue and humanitarian assistance to countries stricken by
major disasters.
Since its formation in 1990, they have deployed teams to help
tsunami victims in Indonesia and Thailand, as well as quake victims
in Pakistan. — CNA/so
