Finland Times

 

Rescue dog is looking for people in the rubble during a rescue exercise in Helsinki on April 22, 2015. File Photo Lehtikuva.

Finland will dispatch firemen and search dogs to help in rescue efforts in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake.

 

In addition to fire-fighters, the 29-member rescue team includes a doctor and two dog trainers, Esa Ahlberg, a training director from the Kuopio-based Crisis Centre in eastern Finland, told STT.

 

Ahlberg said the team is departing early Monday morning directly from Kuopio for Nepal. The task of the team, which will last for about 10 days, is to search for people buried in the rubble of the crumbled buildings and give immediate medical assistance to the injured.

 

The group is part of an EU system established at the beginning of the year in which the member states have registered groups to help during international disaster situations.

 

This is the first the voluntary pool system is being used.

 

File Photo Lehtikuva

The Finnish Red Cross is also ready to send help to Nepal. Relief workers from the units focused on health clinic and relief supplies as well as those in transport and distribution are ready to go.

 

On Sunday, the Red Cross sent three people to Nepal to plan the relief operations.

 

The Nepalese authorities said on Sunday that the death toll in the country went over 2,430 one day after the massive earthquake struck the impoverished Himalayan nation, reported news agency Xinhua.  

 

At least 1,152 people were killed in capital Kathmandu, and the number of injured nationwide climbed to 5,900, they said, warning that the death toll would rise further as search and rescue efforts were hampered by damaged roads, ineffective communication lines and landslides, the Xinhua report added.