The Indonesian Government, the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), and the Airbus Foundation have been working together to support humanitarian relief efforts in Palu, Indonesia with the deployment of a RMAF A400M and the distribution of emergency supplies to the city.
The A400M, which arrived in Jakarta’s Halim Air Base on October 4, has been delivering relief material to Palu to support the victims of an earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which devastated the city on September 28.
The A400M’s cargo included fuel trucks from Indonesian oil firm Pertamina and excavators from industrial products manufacturer PT Pindad. The aircraft also transported food and drinks, clothes, and medical supplies collected by the Indonesian Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises. It will be distributed via the ministry’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) networks, which are actively supporting the relief efforts.
The Airbus Foundation is also supporting the transport and the distribution of emergency supplies and is helping the IFRC by providing 45 flight hours with an H125. The Foundation is also supporting Medecins sans Frontières (MSF) by enabling them to contract an H155 operator who will be assisting relief efforts for a few weeks. Furthermore, images from Airbus satellites are being used for emergency response following the activation of the International Charter for Space.
“Everyone has seen the heart-breaking devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Palu, and our thoughts are with victims and their families who have lost so much,” said Andrea Debbane, Executive Director of the Airbus Foundation. “This is the least that we can do together with our partners, who have provided much-needed logistical support and contributed a lot to this urgent call for help.”
The earthquake was followed by a tsunami of up to six meters, which struck Palu and neighbouring Donggala. More than 1,400 people have died, around 50,000 residents have been reported missing and over 200,000 people are in need of emergency assistance.
