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Rescue SA volunteers to help in Malawi

───   16:37 Mon, 19 Jan 2015

Rescue SA volunteers to help in Malawi | News Article

Johannesburg - Around 30 specialist volunteers of Rescue SA will head to Malawi on Wednesday to help with search and rescue operations in the flood-hit country, the non-governmental organisation said.

"We will be there for two weeks," chief executive Ian Scher said.

The volunteers were all professional emergency services workers, rather than volunteers from the general public.

The team was trained in swift water rescue, a very specialised field involving rescue in fast flowing water.

Scher said: "When we are not doing this [rescue operations] we teach firefighters, police, military how to do search and rescue".

Rescue SA was funded through donations to enable it to perform its perilous, life-saving work. Scher said those who wished to help in this regard could visit its website, www.rescue-sa.co.za, for its banking details.

Associated Press reported on Sunday that at least 176 people had been killed in the Malawi floods.

Humanitarian group the Gift of the Givers has been delivering relief parcels in the country, which include food, blankets, eating utensils and water purification tablets.

Founder Imtiaz Sooliman said on Sunday that, according to the meteorological department, the rain could last another two weeks.

Thirty-two thousand hectares of land were flooded, with 116,000 farmers affected.

"We have water rescue teams with our own equipment and boats on standby, ready to fly them in at short notice if Malawi Disaster Management confirms a need. Medical teams are also on standby."

There were also concerns of a cholera outbreak and other water-borne diseases as there was no clean drinking water, and the sewerage was contaminated.

Sapa

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