Jakarta, The Indonesia post – The National Search and Relief Agency (Basarnas) deployed 47 personnel to help search for victims of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey.
Basarnas Preparedness Director Agus Haryono, met by ANTARA in Jakarta on Wednesday, said that the assistance of search and rescue personnel had responded to a request by the Turkish state government.
“We will send a combined SAR team of 47 people consisting of Basarnas, TNI-Polri, Ministry of Health. We will provide search and rescue assistance for victims who are estimated to be still hit by buildings or collapsed buildings,” said Agus.
The personnel, said Agus, will depart this afternoon at Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport, Jakarta, on an Indonesian Air Force plane.
Those who departed have met the medium class qualifications from INSARAG (International SAR Advisory Group), the agency under the United Nations that deals with earthquake problems.
“We have been assessed by the INSARAG team, our capabilities are good in terms of management, search and rescue, facilities and infrastructure, medical equipment and so on. Everything has been assessed by them and has been declared to meet the requirements, so we can be seconded to help our brothers and sisters,” said Agus.
Personnel and equipment for search and rescue personnel sent from Indonesia are specifically for collapsed buildings, to search for and rescue victims from collapsed buildings.
“The search tool is like a life detector to detect body heat. We also brought two sniffer dogs from the Wildlife Police Directorate of the National Police Headquarters, two K9s,” said Agus.
Apart from that, the Indonesian SAR team also provided bridging and cutting equipment to cut concrete, cut iron, and break down walls, to make access for earthquake victims who were crushed by rubble caused by the earthquake.
Equally important is a vibration detector to monitor aftershocks. Agus said operating in the ruins is a dangerous task. If aftershocks occur, the safety officer will immediately pull the team to a safe place.
Search and rescue tasks at Basarnas will be coordinated from the INSARAG secretariat in Turkey, together with search and rescue teams from other countries. (mhn/bbs)
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