SCDF, MYANMAR TEAMS RESCUE MAN IN 8-HOUR OPERATION

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz

SINGAPORE, March 30 (Bernama) -- Racing against time, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)’s Operation Lionheart (OLH) contingent, along with local rescuers, battled through the rubble of a semi-collapsed building in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, successfully rescuing a man trapped beneath concrete slabs after the earthquake.

In a Facebook post, SCDF said the joint effort involving the OLH contingent and the Yangon Fire Services Department (YFSD) led to the careful extraction of the man trapped in a three-storey residential building along Ngu Wah Road, following an eight-hour operation.

The man, who was conscious and in stable condition, was immediately transported to a local hospital.

The 80-member OLH team, led by Colonel Tay Zhi Wei, arrived in Naypyidaw at about 7.30pm (Singapore time) on Saturday, following a request for humanitarian assistance after the earthquake.

The contingent commenced search and rescue operations in Zebuthiri Township, Naypyidaw, at 1am (Singapore time) on Sunday.

The contingent comprises rescuers from the elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), Operationally Ready National Servicemen (ORNS), full-time National Servicemen medical doctors, paramedics, search specialists with four canines, hazardous materials specialists, and support officers.

They brought along an array of portable Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) equipment such as cutting, breaking, and lifting equipment, as well as life detection devices and fibre-optic scopes.

Since the formation of the OLH contingent in 1990, it has been deployed throughout the Asia-Pacific region to render humanitarian assistance to countries hit by major disasters, including the Highland Towers collapse in Malaysia, the Japan earthquake and tsunami, and the Christchurch earthquake in 2011.

In addition, three SCDF officers have also been deployed to Myanmar as part of the ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ERAT) under the auspices of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).

The ASEAN-ERAT’s primary function is to provide rapid assessments and determine the critical resources required for the areas affected by the earthquake.

-- BERNAMA