Israelis come to Brazil to help with rescues in Brumadinho
Over 230 soldiers and agents with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) landed on Sunday (Jan. 27) at the International Airport of Belo Horizonte, in Minas Gerais state, where they are to proceed to the region of Brumadinho, where a waste dam belonging to mining giant Vale collapsed.
In a note, the Israeli army said the main goal of the delegation is to help rescue people who disappeared and victims of the accident in the region.
The group was led by Colonel Golan Vach, of the National Search and Rescue Unit of Israel, is made up of engineers, doctors, firefighters, and soldiers with the Israeli Navy, who are joined by representatives from the Foreign Ministry and by Israel’s Ambassador to Brazil Yossi Sheli.
Focus
According to Lieutenant Pedro Aihara, a representative from the Military Fire Department, the Israeli agents who joined the Brazilian teams are expected first to focus where Vale’s administrative area was hit by the waste. He mentioned the company’s cafeteria may be found kilometers away, after having been dislodged by the mud. “It received the strongest impact wave,” he said.
The coming of the Israeli team with state-of-the-art location technology was unveiled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro directly yesterday afternoon (27).
General Otávio do Rêgo Barros, speaking on behalf of Bolsonaro, who has been hospitalized in São Paulo, expressed gratitude for the support of Israel. “Approximately 150 men and women have been mobilized, in addition to the equipment provided to step up the mission in Brumadinho,” he reported.
Support
The delegation also brought vaccines and medical equipment. No specific strategies to be adopted in Minas Gerais have been disclosed.
The Israeli government declared that the Defense Forces and the state of Israel will continue to offer its expertise and skill after disasters anywhere across the world. Initiatives have been implemented in several countries that have been affected by disasters since 1953. The help sent to Brazil amounts to twice the assistance efforts sent to Mexico following the 2017 earthquake.
