Sydney, October 03: With little fanfare HMAS Kanimbla has slipped out of Sydney Harbour on a wet and windy day, bound for Indonesia as part of Australia’s earthquake relief effort.
Australian aid has already begun arriving in Indonesia’s earthquake-ravaged West Sumatra province, with a plane carrying relief personnel and supplies touching down in Padang about 9.30pm local time on Friday.
A 36-person urban search and rescue team and about 20 Defence Force medics and engineers are also expected to arrive in Padang on Saturday.
The 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings and is believed to have killed more than 1100 people in Padang, home to nearly a million people on the coast of Sumatra.
Up to 4000 people remain trapped in rubble, the United Nations and Red Cross say.
The Kanimbla set sail just after midday (AEST), with stops at Townsville and Darwin to pick up supplies and medical personnel. It is expected to take 10 days to reach West Sumatra.
Kanimbla is fitted with the most comprehensive medical facilities in the navy’s fleet, including a deployable medical and surgical team complete with 40-bed hospital.
The Kanimbla’s commander Timothy Byles said the ship’s mission wound not be finalised until it reached Darwin next week.
But he expected his team would help transport the deployable medical facility and heavy engineering equipment to the earthquake-ravaged area.
“At this stage the engineering reconnaissance team have only just arrived in Padang, and we are developing plans for what equipment we take,” Commander Byles said.
“At this stage I’ll be transporting heavy engineering equipment of the army up there, and the medical facilities.”
Commodore Ian Middleton, the navy’s surface forces commander, said Kanimbla would provide Australia’s long-term back-up to the area.
“The air force got in there with the immediate response,” he said.
“What the Kanimbla is providing is the back-up longer term to clean up, and reconstruct if necessary.
“We’ve yet to be told by the Indonesian Government and Australian Government what exactly we need to do.
“What we’re doing is positioning the ship to be in the best spot to get up there in a timely fashion.”
—Agencies