B-Fast team on its way to Nepalese earthquake epicentre
The Belgian B-Fast search and rescue team has left for the town of Gorkha, around 140 kilometres west of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. Gorkha was the epicentre of Saturday’s earthquake. Up until now little if any emergency aid and practical help has reached the town that is reported to have been completely flattened.
At Wednesday morning’s meeting at the UN Coordination Centre in Kathmandu the Belgians were given the task of going to Gorkha a team from Spain and a team from Singapore.
Although the route to Gorkha is clear, the journey is expected to take some time.
Old buildings
The aim of mission is urban search and rescue. It is now four days since Saturday’s earthquake. The first task the B-Fast team will face is one of reconnaissance and looking at whether there is a chance of finding any survivors.
The buildings in Gorkha are generally much older than those in Kathmandu and much less resistant to earthquakes. The VRT’s Stijn Vercruysse who is following the B-Fast mission in Nepal expects to find little more than a pile of rubble once they reach Gorkha.