Strong currents hinder rescue team
Play
Rough terrain and the strong current in the Mekong River are the most difficult factors facing the joint Thai-Lao search and rescue team after Wednesday's crash of a Lao Airlines plane that killed all 49 passengers and crew members.
“We have to overcome the geographical and weather troubles before reaching the crash site. No need to talk about the plane – we still have no idea where it is,” said Yospon Chantanachart, chief of an underwater operation team from an Ubon Ratchathani charity foundation.
The water in the Mekong is very turbid and its current very strong during the rainy season, he said.
The location near the crash site on the banks of the Mekong River is not accessible by cars or trucks. Members of the rescue team had to carry their equipment themselves, walking to the river from a nearby road.
Luckily, the local people and authorities have a good supply of food and drink for the team, he said.
Diving into the turbid water in the Mekong is not easy as the divers cannot see clearly, Yospon said.
More than 100 members of the joint rescue team began their work at 10am on Thursday to search for the downed plane and its passengers. They found some bodies and wreckage floating along the river but the main pieces of the plane and most of the bodies had still not been located yesterday.
The Mekong River at the site crash is very wide with a strong current.
“We expect that the plane and most of the bodies will remain under water and mud in the riverbed,” Yospon said.
Laos has its own rescue teams but the accident this time might be the most serious the country has ever experienced. The team has no experience in handling such an event, he said.
“We also have to take into account the safety of the joint rescue team, who might not be familiar with the terrain and geography,” he said.
Like Laos, Thailand also lacks good capacity to handle a big disaster like this, said Dr Witthaya Chartbanchachai, a World Health Organisation director for accident prevention. Malaysia and Singapore have emergency medical teams better able to cope with such an event.
“Emergency relief in the Philippines and Indonesia is more developed than in Thailand as they have more frequent accidents than us,” he said. Asean countries should pay more attention to this matter and forge more cooperation, he added.
