New Zealand rescue plane arrives in Vanuatu

Wellington (The Uttam Hindu): A New Zealand Air Force rescue plane has arrived in Vanuatu's capital city Port Vila, the New Zealand Defence Force said. "Our thoughts remain with the people of Vanuatu at this difficult time, and we will continue to assist as required," New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.

The rescue plane was on board with search and rescue equipment, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade consular staff and six New Zealand Defence Force personnel, including medics and staff, who will assist with planning the emergency response and evacuation of New Zealanders, said a Defense Force media statement.

Meanwhile, a second carrier plane was also on the way to transport urban search and rescue members and equipment to Vanuatu. Surveillance flight by a New Zealand Air Force plane over Vanuatu including outlying areas to provide imagery for damage assessments was being carried out on Wednesday and will continue on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported. On Thursday afternoon, another New Zealand Air Force plane departed from Auckland to transport more humanitarian assistance and disaster relief stores to Vanuatu and enable evacuations.

Vanuatu has declared a state of emergency following Tuesday's 7.3-magnitude earthquake. Official death toll was revised down to nine, though it was expected to rise. On Wednesday, Australia also deputed several of its officials for Vanuatu aid search and rescue efforts following the major earthquake. Australia's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) on Wednesday afternoon sent its first relief crews to Vanuatu on board a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster bound for Port Vila. Dickinson Tevi, Secretary-General of the Vanuatu Red Cross Society, had told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he expects the death toll to increase. DART's task force leader, Douglas May, said that the relief crew, made up of firefighters, paramedics, engineers, doctors and canine search and rescue teams, expects a difficult job ahead.

"We expect as soon as we get there, we will be rescuing known live victims," he told reporters prior to departure. "Ultimately, we know there are lives to be saved. So that is the priority, and after that it'll be helping to locate the deceased and then providing services like water purification." More than 200 people have been injured, and rescue efforts are focused on two buildings that collapsed in the capital of Port Vila, Vanuatu Police Commissioner Robson Iavro said.