-.- The international community began to send emergency teams on Saturday to help Japan after the country suffered a huge earthquake and tsunami. Meanwhile, the Organization of the United Nations sent a team to assist in the coordination work. "We are in the process of deploying nine experts who are among the most experienced we have to deal with disasters.
They will help assess needs and coordinate assistance with the Japanese authorities," he told Reuters Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the Office for the Coordination of Assistance UN Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA, for its acronym in English). The team of officials in disaster aid from the UN includes people who speak Japanese and an environmental expert, said Byrs.
There was an explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant, but did not occur in the reactor container, said Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, Yukio Edan, adding that there was a radiation leak at the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), but is not expected to be large. An earthquake of magnitude 8.9-the highest ever recorded in Japan, generated a tsunami with waves of 10 meters that devastated villages and towns on the northeast coast on Friday.
Nipponese media estimate that at least 700 thousand people have died or disappeared. The UN announced late Friday that four foreign teams of search and rescue (from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the U.S.) were on their way after Japan asked for help. Byrs told Reuters on Saturday that Singapore will also deploy a team of urban search and rescue in Japan, while Switzerland announced it was sending a team of about 25 rescue and medical experts, accompanied by nine dogs.
Britain also said it would send help after receiving a request from Japan. The Swiss team will be in charge of finding victims under the rubble left by the tsunami, said Toni Frisch, head of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit, a Swiss radio. The Swiss unit is a body of militia with a contingent of at least 700 people ready for action, whose skills include engineering, seismology, telecommunications and war surgery.
Britain said it would send 63-member search and rescue teams and two dogs to Japan later on Saturday in response to a request from Tokyo. The group will take up to 11 tonnes of equipment including heavy lifting equipment and cutting. "People have seen the scale of this is really devastating, so we need a large coordinated international response and Britain is playing a full role in that," said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeremy Browne told Sky News.
He said the British foreign secretary, William Hague, had spoken to his counterpart in Japan and offered help if needed after an explosion at a nuclear plant in the north. "On the nuclear issue, the Japanese are taking care of that," said Browne. "But the Secretary said that if they needed some assistance in terms of nuclear physicists or in terms of experience in the United Kingdom, would be very willing to provide such assistance," he added.
Recently, Britain sent search and rescue experts to New Zealand to help after the earthquake last month in Christchurch, which killed at least 166 people. 
They will help assess needs and coordinate assistance with the Japanese authorities," he told Reuters Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the Office for the Coordination of Assistance UN Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA, for its acronym in English). The team of officials in disaster aid from the UN includes people who speak Japanese and an environmental expert, said Byrs.
There was an explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant, but did not occur in the reactor container, said Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, Yukio Edan, adding that there was a radiation leak at the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), but is not expected to be large. An earthquake of magnitude 8.9-the highest ever recorded in Japan, generated a tsunami with waves of 10 meters that devastated villages and towns on the northeast coast on Friday.
Nipponese media estimate that at least 700 thousand people have died or disappeared. The UN announced late Friday that four foreign teams of search and rescue (from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the U.S.) were on their way after Japan asked for help. Byrs told Reuters on Saturday that Singapore will also deploy a team of urban search and rescue in Japan, while Switzerland announced it was sending a team of about 25 rescue and medical experts, accompanied by nine dogs.
Britain also said it would send help after receiving a request from Japan. The Swiss team will be in charge of finding victims under the rubble left by the tsunami, said Toni Frisch, head of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit, a Swiss radio. The Swiss unit is a body of militia with a contingent of at least 700 people ready for action, whose skills include engineering, seismology, telecommunications and war surgery.
Britain said it would send 63-member search and rescue teams and two dogs to Japan later on Saturday in response to a request from Tokyo. The group will take up to 11 tonnes of equipment including heavy lifting equipment and cutting. "People have seen the scale of this is really devastating, so we need a large coordinated international response and Britain is playing a full role in that," said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeremy Browne told Sky News.
He said the British foreign secretary, William Hague, had spoken to his counterpart in Japan and offered help if needed after an explosion at a nuclear plant in the north. "On the nuclear issue, the Japanese are taking care of that," said Browne. "But the Secretary said that if they needed some assistance in terms of nuclear physicists or in terms of experience in the United Kingdom, would be very willing to provide such assistance," he added.
Recently, Britain sent search and rescue experts to New Zealand to help after the earthquake last month in Christchurch, which killed at least 166 people.
No comments:
Post a Comment