YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenia is sending a 52-strong rescue team to Haiti to join in the unfolding international relief effort in the Caribbean nation devastated by a catastrophic earthquake, a government official said on Thursday.
“The government of the Republic of Armenia has decided to provide assistance to Haiti, and on the order of the minister of emergency situations, a rescue team from the Armenian Rescue Service are now preparing to leave for Haiti,” Nikolay Grigorian, a spokesman for the service, was quoted by RFE/RL as saying.
“Our rescuers will fly to Moscow today and proceed, on a Russian Emergency Situations Ministry plane, to Haiti where they will take part in search and rescue operations,” Grigorian said. The Armenian rescuers will have search dogs and special equipment used in such operations, he said, adding that they will likely stay in Haiti for at least six days.
“The bitter truth is that people are happy even with the discovery of dead bodies. So it is very important for them to find their loved ones dead or alive,” added the official.
Tens of thousands of people are feared dead and many more believed to be still trapped alive in the rubble of the 7.0 magnitude quake that hit Haiti’s capital on Tuesday. News reports from Port-au-Prince spoke of people crying out from the rubble and others clawing at chunks of concrete with bare hands and battering at slabs of debris with sledgehammers to try to free those buried alive.
The first rescue teams from around the world reportedly arrived in Haiti on Thursday. “Having felt all this on our skin, we could not have stayed away from the international relief and rescue effort,” Grigorian said referring to the massive international aid that poured into Armenia following a similarly devastating earthquake that razed the country’s northern regions in December 1988.
Good news that Armenia is helping out the needy.
How come this is not on CNN? Israel sends couple of doctors and its all over the news media. We send 52 rescuers and no one knows about it. Lets call our local media and let them know that Armenia doing more than its fair share.
you already know that israel/jews control the news media. it is not in their interest to let the world know that others are sending help. it would make their effort look meaningless in comparison.
This is the right thing to do, even at a time when Yerevan is economically strapped.
I was hoping Armenia would send their rescue team. Glad to hear it. Hope it happened sooner. Time is of the essence.
Yea, exactly; how come this was not on CNN? I see everybody over the news, except Armenia! What the heck?
Does anyone know more about the Armenian rescue group? Where are they based? What sort of training do they do? What are the names of the dogs? 🙂 A search on google did not bring up anything for me. Just articles about the ’88 quake.
I am surprised because there is nothing about Armeian on News…..Great job! I am glad to hear that we can help them somehow. Another way we can help them is by Texting “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to Red Cross to help victims of Haiti Earthquake.
Well lets do the rite thing and the world will find out about it. I am glad about the decision , becouse Armenia is in the region, where you never know when the next earth quake will happen( God forbid).
i’m from peru and i read about the armenian rescue team… dont worry… CNN is not the only way to get news…
by the other hand.. israel stablished a field hospital and send many doctors..a nd the first after quake new born baby,was born at that hospital… but what really is important is the people and countries are helping…… SAUDI ARABIA have not donated anything, despite they swim in oil