Date : 11/2005

Country/Region : PAKISTAN

Title : Pakistan : world's biggest helicopters deployed to help Kashmir victims

Duration : 00:04:04

Director : MIRANDA, Virginie; GRAENISCHER, Laurent; VERVAEKE, Aurore

Cameraman : GRAENISCHER, Laurent; VERVAEKE, Aurore

Editor : unknown

Keyword : EARTHQUAKE; TRUCK; HELICOPTER; RELIEF DISTRIBUTION; RECEPTION OF MERCHANDISE; INTERVIEW; ICRC SIGN; LOADING SUPPLIES; MOUNTAIN; MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

Person appearing :
STOCKER, Reto (coordinateur secours)

Confidentiality level : public

Publication restrictions : publication without restrictions

Copyright : ICRC

Production company : ICRC

ICRC producer :
MIRANDA, Virginie

Description : The difficulty of the terrain and the number of victims in the Kashmir earthquake has obliged aid agencies to resort to unique measures. To succeed bringing aid to the hundreds of thousands waiting for help in this mountainous region, an unprecedented number of helicopters from all over the world have been deployed to the area, among them the worlds biggest helicopter, the Russian made MI-26. Both the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are now operating these giants. For the ICRC, never in it’s 150 years’ history has it mounted such a big helicopter operation. Not unaccustomed to big airlifts by fixed wing aircraft, this deployment of helicopters is unprecedented for the ICRC.
In this high altitude the M1-26, which can carry a payload of up to 30 tons, is limited to 15 tons that are either loaded on board or airlifted in slings, as many of the landing spots in this mountainous area are unsuitable for the landing of this giant helicopter. With a total crew of 12 persons, the deployment of this jumbo helicopter was however judged necessary to allow relief goods to be brought in to help the survivors of the 8th October earthquake while the clear autumn weather conditions still allow helicopter flying. The ICRC has now airlifted over a thousand tons of food, tents and shelter material to the disaster zone and flown out 614 injured. Even by ICRC standards the Earthquake relief operation in Pakistan is of a huge scale with the deployment of almost a thousand local and international staff both from the ICRC and it Red Cross and Red Crescent partners, over 200 vehicles and trucks and 10 helicopters. Over 90 thousand blankets have thus reached the victims, 23 thousand plastic sheets, over 5 thousand tents, plus over a thousand tons of food.

Original language : International soundtrack

English title : Pakistan : world's biggest helicopters deployed to help Kashmir victims

Colour/B&W : colour

Original material/format : DVCam

Best material/format available : DVCam