Switzerland helps Armenia to cope with floods
Published: Tuesday, Jun 4th 2024, 13:50
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Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in northern Armenia and cost lives. Switzerland therefore sent the seven-strong Swiss Humanitarian Corps engineering team to the region on Monday evening.
The experts are helping the authorities to check the stability of bridges and other infrastructure. The damage in the area is considerable, as reported by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on Tuesday.
The heavy rainfall in northern Armenia cost lives in some places and caused considerable damage. More than 400 people had to be evacuated. Numerous infrastructures, especially roads and bridges as well as gas and water pipes, were damaged or destroyed. In some villages, buildings collapsed and the mud and water masses rose to almost two meters, the FDFA wrote.
In view of the scale of the disaster, the Armenian authorities requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), particularly from civil engineering experts. Switzerland has offered corresponding assistance.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is now sending members of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA). According to the FDFA, the seven-strong team of engineering and structural specialists flew to Armenia on Monday evening.
The SDC is already working in Armenia and the South Caucasus. It is now making up to CHF 500,000 available to provide emergency aid in the affected areas, which are among the most disadvantaged regions in the country.
Switzerland is also monitoring the flood situation in Europe and in neighboring countries in particular. It is prepared to provide assistance in the countries requesting support.
In addition to the floods, the North Caucasus republic continues to suffer from the consequences of the lost war against Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2023. Almost the entire ethnic Armenian population of 120,000 people fled from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
©Keystone/SDA
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