PANO – In the first half of this year, Vietnam was hit by 1,075 natural disasters and accidents nationwide, an increase of 316 cases against the same period last year, leaving behind 254 dead, 109 missing and 359 injured, destroying 261 vehicles, 933 houses and 794ha of forests, and inundating 35,979 other houses and 16,970ha of rice paddies.
The Department of Search and Rescue (SAR), under the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, suggested the General Staff and the National Search and Rescue Committee to timely instruct relevant units and organs to cope with natural disasters.
Army units mobilized about 25,500 arrivals of troops and militia and 937 equipment to help more than 205,049 ships operating at high sea with 941,811 fishermen on board take refuge; fight 113 forest fires, 322 cases of fires and explosions and mine collapses; and conduct SAR in 262 cases at sea to rescue 100 ships with 1,306 people on board. In addition, they also worked jointly with local authorities to evacuate 4,412 people to safe sites.
Meanwhile, units for SAR at all levels seriously maintained round-the-clock watch to be ready to handle all unforeseen circumstances.
The Engineering Corps and the Military Medical Department, under the Ministry of National Defence, established rescue teams to take part in the 2013 Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine (HADR/MM) exercise in Brunei in June as well as prepare for the coming 13th ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (ADREX 13) and other sports festivals in this year.
Translated by Van Hieu
Đăng ký: VietNam News
