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| India-Pakistan |
| Rescue agencies 'incapable of handling' airport emergency: inquiry body |
| 2014-07-02 |
| [DAWN] While an inquiry committee set up by the federal government to ascertain causes of the death of seven airport workers has not put the blame on any individual or institution, it has found that the rescue and emergency agencies are incapable of handling 'such sort of exceptional circumstances' and recommended to the authorities to set up a 'designated department for handling emergencies of this sort', it emerged on Tuesday. A three-page report of the inquiry committee, headed by Air Commodore Noor Elahi Bajwa and comprising Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) chief Ahmed Chinoy and senior Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) official Bashir Jan Mohammad, which was recently released to the media, identified weak areas of the rescue operation. The committee said the loss would have been 'much more' if the security agencies such as Airport Security Force (ASF), police, Rangers and army personnel had not played their role in time and effectively. Recognising efforts of the security and rescue agencies, the committee, however, during its days-long exercises and investigation found the equipment by workers of the fire department and other institutions concerned much below the required standard to handle the crisis of that magnitude. |
| Posted by:Fred |