The commander of the Israeli rescue unit sent to Thailand, one of the areas affected by the earthquake that was recorded in Burma (Myanmar) this last Friday, he explained to Efe that they do not lose hope in finding survivors, despite the fact that in recent days “dozens of bodies have rescued.”
“Our priority is to find survivors and support Thai to make the right decisions in this huge tragedy and know where their loved ones are. We know that we have many challenges on this occasion, but we know how to face it,” this Israeli commander, who prefers to maintain anonymity, explained in a video call.
The deaths caused throughout Bangkok by the earthquake of magnitude 7.7 rose to 22 this Wednesday, when the declaration of disaster zone on the office building of 30 plants that collapsed, very close to Chatuchak, a popular and tourist market, is maintained.
In total, the earthquake has left more than 2,700 deaths and more than 4,500 injured and 445 missing, according to the latest data of the Military Board that holds power in Burma.
There are no Israelis affected by the earthquake, said the commander.
“We arrived on Sunday and although there is a sense of normality at the airport, when you enter affected areas you realize the huge tragedy. This is another planet,” he added.
The Israeli rescue team is made up of a total of 22 people, among which are engineers and experts in data analysis “with experience in dealing with catastrophes of these dimensions.” “We are working side by side with other delegations and we will be here until we are useful,” said the commander.
There are at least 1,485 rescuers from 15 different countries deployed in the areas most affected by the earthquake, an international deployment than the UN humanitarian coordinator in Burma, Marcoluigi Corsi, asked to intensify due to the magnitude of the earthquake.
