Providing Assistance After the Mine Disaster
Szöveg: Maj. László Bártfai | 2012. január 6. 9:06On December 24 a serious mine disaster occurred in the Chiranak village coal mine of Nahrin District, Afghanistan. Altogether 13 miners lost their lives in the disaster. The Afghan governmental organs officially requested the commander of the HDF Provincial Reconstruction Team (HUN PRT) to let the Hungarian troops join the humanitarian relief efforts in the wake of the mine disaster.
force (QRF) to gather further information and deploy to provide assistance. The QRF was
ready to move at short notice, together with the Mission Team of the CIMIC-PSYOPS (S-9)
section with the relevant area of responsibility.
The march column formed of Hungarian troops first stopped at a hospital in Nahrin District
where they handed over the local doctors a package including bandages and medical
instruments. Having arrived on the scene, the HUN PRT troops met the local mining engineer
who told them that methane had filled the tunnels of the mine, in consequence of which 11
men died of suffocation. As the trapped miners gave no signs of life for a long time, a rescue
team was recruited from local miners who just happened to be taking a rest, which set out to
search for them. Unfortunately, by the time they found out what happened, two members of
the rescue team had lost their lives as well.
On learning about the exact circumstances of the disaster, the HUN PRT commander decided
that they would hand over the previously assembled aid packages on December 28. “Quick
aid must be given to those families that lost their relatives and so their breadwinners", this
was what he ordered. The packages containing flour, rice, sugar, honey, jam, bread, tea,
sweets and blankets were handed over in Nahrin City.
