Canada’s highly specialized DART Team (Disaster Assistance Response Team) has been dispatched to Europe, Kuwait and then India, where they will wait until called into earthquake ravaged Nepal and are expected to arrive by tonight. The death toll in the area has reportedly surpassed 3,700 people.
The DART unit which left CFB Trenton last night consists of a medical platoon and mobile clinic, engineers, equipment to clear debris, a communications team and a mobile water purification system to provide cleaning drinking water. They will assess the area where the 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred and then report back as to what opportunities exist for assistance and have been deployed for up to 40 days to help stabilize the region until the local government and international aid agencies are able to step in with their own assistance.
In other aid, it was announced by Ottawa on Saturday that it Canada would contribute $5 million to relief efforts. Here is a video that shows some of the area after the quake:
The Department of Foreign Affairs is also boosting its consular staff in the region to assist stranded Canadians and said that there are 388 Canadians registered as being in Nepal.
SOURCES: Government of Canada, YouTube
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