No fewer than 56 military personnel and four dogs arrived in Marrakech early this afternoon from the Zaragoza air base, aboard a Spanish Army A400 aircraft. The aim is to collaborate in the search and rescue of survivors of the devastating earthquake suffered by the neighboring country, as reported today by the Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles.
In detail, the personnel deployed include a search and rescue team from BIEM IV (Zaragoza), made up of 46 military personnel, and a coordination team from the General Staff (UMEDAT), made up of 10 military personnel. The UME has search and rescue teams (USAR) certified by both the United Nations and the European Mechanism for Civil Protection, which can search for survivors or deceased persons among the rubble using cytological equipment and technical means (geophones, telescopic cameras or georadar).
In addition, these teams have the ability to cut and pierce structures such as reinforced concrete, as well as the capacity to rescue victims once they have been located and their access opened, the Embassy points out. They also have the means to detect any toxic or explosive substances in order to ensure the safe working of those involved.
These UME teams have already taken part in earthquakes such as those in Haiti, Lorca, Nepal, Ecuador, Mexico and most recently in Turkey, where they were deployed in February this year, locating six people alive under the rubble. A second aircraft took off from Torrejón de Ardoz air base (Madrid) after 6.00 pm, to ensure that the team could be up and running as soon as possible.
Be the first to comment