Nepal-Tibet disaster: Singapore to send police officers specialising in disaster victim identification
Singapore will also deliver humanitarian assistance comprising both civilian and Singapore Armed Forces supplies to Nepal, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
An undated handout photo of rescue workers taking part in a rescue operation near the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project, following deadly flash floods and mudslides, in Rasuwa, Nepal. (File photo: Reuters/Nepal Army)
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SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) will deploy a team to disaster-hit Nepal, as rescue efforts continue after deadly flash floods and landslides occurred at the country’s border with Tibet last week.
The team’s deployment is in line with Nepal’s request, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Monday (Aug 31). Its members will include officers specialising in disaster victim identification, it said in a press statement.
“In addition, the Singapore government will deliver humanitarian assistance comprising both civilian and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) supplies to Nepal,” it said.
This tranche of humanitarian assistance is on top of an earlier government contribution of US$100,000 to the Singapore Red Cross’ (SRC) public fundraising in support of relief efforts in Nepal.
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“To date, the SRC has raised around S$1 million,” said MFA.
At least nine Singaporeans were listed as missing by the Nepal Tourism Board last week.
MFA said on Monday that its crisis response team had been deployed to Nepal since Aug 27 to render consular assistance to affected Singaporeans in Nepal.
“The Singapore government will continue to work closely with the Nepal government on the provision of our humanitarian assistance,” it said.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan spoke with Nepal Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal on Monday to convey Singapore’s condolences to the country, MFA said.
“Minister Balakrishnan commended the Nepal government’s disaster relief efforts and expressed appreciation for the Nepal government’s assistance in the search for missing Singaporeans.”
“Minister Khanal expressed Nepal’s appreciation for the Singapore government’s assistance.”
More than 900 people have died and nearly 5,000 are still missing five days after a huge wave of freezing water, rocks and debris smashed into villages and towns at the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet on Aug 26.
The disaster was sparked by a glacial collapse, the US Geological Survey said. While the exact cause of that collapse is unclear, climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, raising the risk of such disasters.
Mr Khanal on Saturday called for forensic testing kits to identify the recovered bodies and freezer units to store them, citing Nepal’s limited healthcare capacity.
He also said then that Nepal required specialist assistance to rescue people trapped in tunnels, restore transport and communication lines where bridges had been destroyed, and conduct DNA testing on recovered bodies.
Source: CNA/Agencies/rk(rj)
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