5 December 2006

Inmarsat BGAN Aids Rescuers in Wake of Typhoon Durian

Agency supports relief efforts in aftermath of Typhoon Durian which triggered landslides estimated to have killed more than 1,000 people.

An Inmarsat-sponsored aid agency has been supporting rescue teams dealing with the devastation caused by Typhoon Durian, which triggered landslides estimated to have killed more than 1,000 people.

A crew from an Asian base in Thailand has just arrived in Manila to work with the Philippines' National Disaster Co-ordinating Council (NDCC).

The two-person team, specialising in emergency communications, is equipped with a range of Inmarsat equipment, including BGAN voice and broadband terminals.

The NDCC had appealed to Inmarsat for help in re-establishing communication links with Catanduanes island, where more than 10,000 houses were destroyed.

Oisin Walton, aid agency spokesman said: "We have very little information at the moment about the situation on the ground - so we have more staff on standby ready to go to the area if they are needed."