The ‘Friends’ Alliance’ delegation, led by the Home Front Command and in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, landed in Colombia yesterday (Friday), following the earthquake that struck the country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Embassy in Colombia, led by Ambassador Alon Lavi, were prepared in advance to provide the delegation with political and administrative support.
Upon landing, the delegation members began operating in cooperation with professional bodies and local authorities at several destruction sites.
The delegation’s forces are operating at two main destruction sites and assisting in the effort to locate and rescue trapped individuals, along with many volunteers from the area.
At the city’s university hospital, which was damaged in the earthquake, Home Front Command engineers are working alongside local professional bodies in a complex engineering effort to advise and guide the clearing of debris, with the aim of enabling the rescue of trapped individuals and restoring the damaged wing to use.
Concurrently, an effort has begun to map and classify buildings damaged by the earthquake, in cooperation with local authorities, with the aim of assisting in formulating a situational assessment and determining priorities for further treatment.
In addition, the delegation’s forces are assisting local bodies in building a data control system that will help manage the situational assessment and decision-making.
The Israeli delegation will continue to operate in the field and make Israeli knowledge, experience, and capabilities available to the authorities in Colombia, with the aim of assisting as much as possible in saving lives and dealing with the consequences of the earthquake.
