Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service’s International search and rescue team were deployed on Sunday 26th April to Nepal following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on Saturday 25th April. The earthquake, Nepal’s worst in more than 80 years, struck between the capital Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara, in the centre of the country and was felt by neighbouring countries.
The team sent from LFRS is a group of serving staff who volunteer to respond to major international incidents and are on call 24/7. The group will be travelling as part of the 67 trained professionals that have been sent to Nepal from UK agencies. The coordination of the UK Government’s response to overseas disasters is the remit of the Department for International Development (DFID); they have developed a system to bring the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) together with the Fire Service Teams to make one large team of which is known as the United Kingdom International Search and Rescue Team.
Along with the International Search Rescue Team from Leicestershire, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Services have deployed a member of their staff for the UK health/trauma care charity Humanity First of which is working with local authorities and the UN to assist in the Gorkha District of the Nepal. The charity are providing a medical team consisting of doctors, nurses and paramedics as well as working alongside their partners World Water Works to supply the sufferers with water filters and family survival kits.
Fears are growing for uncontacted villages as the death toll reached a staggering 3,700 on Monday along with 6,500 people reported as injured.
This will be LFRS’s eighth deployment to an Earthquake incident, with the last being in Christ Church New Zealand back in 2011.
To keep up to date with the team they will be posting more information when available via their social media outputs.
Follow the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service on Twitter: @LeicsFireRescue
