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al Rooters: Massive UNHCR airlift gets underway for tsunami victims
02 Jan 2005 15:52:10 GMTSource: UN High Commissioner for Refugees GENEVA, Jan. 2 (UNHCR) — A giant Antonov 124 cargo plane loaded with 100 tonnes of relief supplies left Denmark early Sunday to spearhead a massive UNHCR airlift operation aimed at providing vital aid to 100,000 people in Indonesia's tsunami-battered Aceh province. In all, the three-day airlift operation will deliver 400 tonnes of aid from UNHCR stockpiles in Denmark and Dubai. On the ground, meanwhile, UNHCR's logistics and supply teams started setting up advance bases in northern Sumatra to ensure rapid delivery of the incoming aid for Aceh, while the refugee agency continued its round-the-clock relief operations in Sri Lanka. The UNHCR-chartered Antonov 124 jet freighter and its 100 tonnes of supplies lifted off from Billund airport in Denmark shortly after 8 a.m. local time Sunday. It was the first of five scheduled flights — four from Billund and one from Dubai — carrying shelter materials and basic living supplies for up to 100,000 people in Aceh, nearly a quarter of the affected population. Sunday's first aircraft from Billund headed for Jakarta packed with plastic sheeting, blankets, kitchen sets and jerry cans from UNHCR's central warehouse in Copenhagen, as well as essential telecommunications equipment. Three further flights using Antonov 124s and an Ilyushin 76 are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday from Billund. In all, a total of 20,000 plastic sheets, 100,000 blankets, 20,000 kitchen sets and 20,000 jerry cans from UNHCR's Copenhagen warehouse will be airlifted to Indonesia. snippy snip Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-01-02 |
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