 |
Search : | ||
|
|||
News
|
News stories
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 October 2002 More than one week after the bombing of a nightclub on the Indonesian island of Bali, volunteers from the Indonesian Red Cross are still working with authorities to clear the debris, help identify missing people, contact relatives and even to ensure there is enough ice to keep the mortuaries cool. More than 180 people were killed in the bombing of the Sari nightclub in Kuta, a popular tourist resort on Bali. Hundreds more were injured. Rapid response teams from the Indonesian Red Cross' Bali chapter and Badung branch had been quick to respond to the bombing, by providing first aid, transferring casualties to hospital and assisting medical staff there, helping identify bodies and in contacting relatives, particularly those of Indonesian victims. The work of the volunteers, harrowing for the large part, was recognised today at a ceremony in Bali at which the chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross, Mar'ie Mohammad, paid tribute to them. Most of the volunteers are university students, aged between 18-25. Eighty of them worked non-stop in the first 24 hours of the disaster and were witness to horrific experiences in the course of their work. They and up to 170 others, are now being helped through psychological debriefings. "I shudder to think what those volunteers witnessed when they rushed to assist the victims of the devastation. Their humanity and compassion is a lesson to us all during this difficult time," said Iris Trapman, a psychologist from the Australian Red Cross who is coordinating the debriefings and is part of a four-member team. "It is important for them to recognise that they have been through a traumatic incident and that physical and psychological symptoms, such as headaches, loss of appetite, helplessness, sadness, confusion and guilt, are normal reactions to the abnormal events of the Bali tragedy they were so closely involved with," she added. With most of those killed being Australian, the Australian Red Cross has sent an assessment team to Bali and launched an appeal aimed at helping alleviate the loss suffered by victims who have been injured in the blast or who have lost close family members. So far, more than AUS$ 8 million (US$ 4.4 million) have been raised. The money will not only be used to assist Australian victims and their families, but also to help continue provide Red Cross relief and medical assistance in Bali itself and to cover future needs including reconstruction projects in the area. The Australian Red Cross team has been joined in Bali by staff from the International Federation, together with the Indonesian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). They are reviewing Red Cross activities and planning the next phase of Red Cross and Red Crescent assistance in the area. Solidarity has also been shown by the Singapore Red Cross which sent a team to Bali, including a plastic surgeon and a renal specialist. The team also took medical supplies which it handed to the Bali chapter of the Red Cross and which in turn were handed to the Sanglah General Hospital where victims are still being treated. Related Links: 14 October 2002 - Indonesian Red Cross quick on scene of Bali bombings Indonesia - Appeals, Updates and Reports More on the Bali bombings - ICRC |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
