Cartrack South Africa has joined hands with the Fury Motor Group to support a team of paramedics with experience in natural catastrophes to assist in the Nepal quake disaster. The country was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Saturday 25 April with latest reports estimating the death toll at over 7 000 and the number of injured at over 14 000.
Fury Motor Group and Cartrack are sponsors of the Netcare 911 Rapid Intervention Unit (RIU) and co-sponsors of a rescue volunteer team . The two companies provided funding for additional safety gear, thermal clothing and rescue equipment for three paramedics from the Rescue Volunteer team which include members of the RIU unit. The team left for Nepal with the Gift of the Givers.
“We are honoured to support in this heart wrenching initiative. Although it’s a small gesture when one looks at the incredible amount of support that nations all over the world have rallied together to help in Nepal, we know that it makes the world of difference to every single survivor that we find, and to their families and loved ones. We are proud to be able to support in any way that we can, and especially humbled by the exceptional show of humanity by ordinary South Africans to pull together and do extraordinary things to help the Nepalese people,” says Juan Marais, Sales Director of Cartrack.
Peter De Kock, Group Risk and Credit Manager at Fury Motor Group adds: “Our team is already hard at work in Nepal, and to date have supported various international teams with recovery operations to find survivors caught in the rubble. The devastation is huge and the feedback coming back from our team is that conditions for people caught in this catastrophe are dire. The human loss and suffering is shocking and expectations are that the continued aftershocks will drive the number of casualties up. Through all of this, we are really proud of our team, the South Africans and international volunteers from all over the world who have risked life and limb to help wherever they can.”
The trio of Wayne Broodryk, Ken Cosgrove and Mark Stokoe are expected back home at the end of this week. Rescue teams are likely to head back soon as the chances of finding any more survivors dwindles. The country’s government now faces the immense task of relief and rehabilitation of the thousands of earthquake victims.