Haiti Earthquake: Search and Rescue

United Nations, New York, 16 January 2010: A United Nations Disaster and Assessment Coordination (UNDAC) team and OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) coordination teams arrived on the ground in Port-au-Prince on today (15 Jan).
The teams, from the United States, Iceland, Britain, France and China, equipped with jackhammers and sniffer dogs set out to try and reach survivors trapped under the rubble throughout the city.
SOUNDBITE (English) Rescue team member (Unidentifed):
We are heading to the University at Gonaives which is a university that collapsed with many students inside. So theyve been stranded for the past almost seventy hours and this morning we were still hearing voices and one guy walked out by himself out of the debri. So we need some help to open the concrete and make some opening to get the other people because we just spoke to a few of them and they are still alive.

The team broke through the wood and concrete to try and reach the students.
UNDAC team leader Jesper Lund said that when he spoke with President Rene Preval on how long the search and rescue operation should take place in Port-au-Prince, the president replied, we need to continue as long as the population thinks there is hope.
On Friday, a British urban search and rescue team (USAR) pulled two survivors trapped in the rubble.

Source: UNIFEED, MINUSTAH

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Haiti
• Earthquake
• Port-au-Prince
• Search
• Rescue
• United Nations
• UNDAC
• UN

[MildredMbogo]

Thanks to all who came in to help..

[Jabriel86]

This is sad=(