THREE Chinook helicopters from RAF Odiham arrived in Pakistan this week to help with the earthquake relief operation. The first of the helicopters arrived in Islamabad on Saturday in a C17 transport aircraft, before being rebuilt and tested on Tuesday. The other two arrived in Pakistan early on Wednesday and were expected to be ready for tasking yesterday (Thursday). The heavy-lift helicopters have room for 54 people or at least 25,000 lbs (11,340 kgs) of freight. The relief effort comes after a desperate plea from Pakistan for helicopters to transport supplies to remote communities and airlift the injured. Rescue teams from 27 Squadron, based at RAF Odiham, accompanied the helicopters. More than 50,000 people were killed in the earthquake which hit Pakistan, Afghanistan and northern India on October 8, wiping out several villages in Kashmir. Wing commander Carl Scott, chief of staff at RAF Odiham, said: "UK military assets and personnel are a very capable resource, held at high readiness for a wide spectrum of contingencies. "The scale of the crisis in Pakistan undoubtedly warrants our support and we are pleased to be able to play a part in the UK contribution." He added: "This commitment will not impact on our ability to support UK military operations." Defence secretary Dr John Reid said: "The terrible effects of the earthquake, and the human tragedy that has resulted, have resulted in a major international assistance effort and I am confident that our responsive and valuable assets will contribute a great deal to that relief effort. "The earthquake there was obviously terrible and the aftermath is even worse in an area where travel and transportation are normally hugely difficult." The UK government is providing £13 m towards the relief efforts.
