A Self-Defense Forces team will depart today for quake-hit areas in northwestern India to help erect tent cities, government officials said Sunday.
The team, comprising 16 Ground Self-Defense Force members and 78 Air Self-Defense Force members who will be accompanied by several government officials, is expected to set up 450 tents and to hand over about 4,500 blankets donated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The team will leave Japan by Monday evening aboard six C-130 cargo planes and a private plane and return by the weekend, they said.
On Saturday, the government canceled an SDF medical mission to India because authorities there have sufficient facilities to cope with victims.
The Jan. 26 quake has already claimed more than 14,000 lives and left more than 60,000 injured. Unofficial figures say it could exceed 100,000.
Doctors go to work
AHMEDABAD, India (Kyodo) A team of doctors dispatched by the Japanese government began treating victims Saturday evening of the major quake that devastated the western state of Gujarat nine days ago.
The medical team opened a field clinic near Bhuj, the worst-hit area, after prolonged negotiations with Indian authorities, team members said.
The team arrived at the state capital of Ahmedabad Tuesday but was unable to begin relief activities due to a lack of information and difficulty choosing where to set up.
Bhuj's main hospital was destroyed in a powerful quake that struck on Jan. 26, killing more than 16,000 people and injuring more than 60,000.
It is feared the death toll will hit 25,000.
Medical teams from other parts of India, the United States and Europe began emergency treatment much earlier. A doctor from the teams said initial treatment of the victims is already complete.
Another rescue team, dispatched by the National Police Agency, is also operating in the area.