Comments
The US President, Mr Barack Obama, today offered all help in rescue and relief operations as he called the New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr John Key, to offer condolences over the devastating earthquake that struck Christchurch.
During the telephonic conversation, Mr Obama noted that a US search and rescue team was on its way to New Zealand, and said the US was ready to provide whatever further support was needed in this difficult time.
“The President underscored the close and enduring friendship between the American people and the people of New Zealand,” the White House said.
The Prime Minister, Mr John Key described the determination of the people of Christchurch and New Zealand in the face of this tragedy, and expressed appreciation for US support, the statement said.
On Tuesday the US Agency for International Development (USAID) said it is deploying its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) team to New Zealand, which includes the Los Angeles County (California) Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR) to assist with the search and rescue efforts.
The USAR component of the DART will be what is called a “heavy team”, bringing more than 70 specialised personnel and necessary equipment to make live rescues in even the most precarious situations.
As many as 76 people are confirmed dead after Tuesday’s 6.5 earthquake that devastated Christchurch, and 238 are still reported missing.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.