SCDF sends 17-member contingent to Laos for search & rescue operations

Let's help our neighbours in their time of need.

Sulaiman Daud | August 03, 2018, 02:05 PM

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will lend additional assistance to the search and rescue efforts currently underway in Laos.

Tragedy struck on July 23 when the Xepian Xe-Namnoy hydropower dam collapsed.

13 villages in the Sanamxai district of Attapeu province in Southeast Laos were flooded, submerging buildings in sludge, mud and water.

Search and rescue

On Aug. 3, the SCDF posted an update on its Facebook page of the search and rescue team it sent to Laos.

The 17-member contingent includes:

  • Officers from the elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART).
  • Fire and rescue specialists.
  • Operations officers.
  • A paramedic and a technical support officer.

Photo from SCDF's Facebook page.

Led by Major Seloterio Euan Izmal, the team will be supported by utility vehicles, specialised search and rescue tools, and a 6-seater inflatable dinghy.

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They departed for Laos at 7:00 am from Paya Lebar Air Base, sent off by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for MHA and MND Sun Xueling.

Photo from SCDF's Facebook page.

You can see the post below:

First team already there

The SCDF search and rescue team will join another Singaporean contingent, made up of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and SCDF personnel.

This team reached Laos on July 27, delivering humanitarian supplies. According to the Ministry of Defence's Facebook post:

"The SAF team included personnel from The Singapore Army's Singapore Combat Engineers and Army Deployment Force, who helped to teach Lao People’s Army personnel in the use of the dinghies for water rescue operations, and the set-up of 5-man tents for temporary shelter."

According to a United Nations report, 6,256 people have been affected by the flood and 131 are unaccounted for, with the number of casualties expected to rise.

During his speech at the opening ceremony of the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong expressed his deepest sympathies to Laos, as well as Indonesia for the July 29 earthquake in Lombok.

He added that Singapore stands ready to support our Laotian and Indonesian friends during this difficult time.

Photo from the SCDF's Facebook page.

Top image from the SCDF's Facebook page.