Dispatch of Japan Disaster Relief Expert Team for Earthquake Disaster in Algeria

June 6, 2003

On June 6 (Fri), the Government of Japan decided to dispatch from June 12 to 19 a Japan Disaster Relief expert team of seven members comprising officials of the Foreign Ministry, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry and the Hyogo prefectural government, and staff members of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to the Democratic People's Republic of Algeria, to examine the condition of buildings affected by the earthquake.
Before dawn on May 22 (JST), Algeria was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale, with its seismic center in Wilaya of Boumerdes, east of the capital, Algiers. At the night of May 30 (JST: 31), Mr. Noureddine Zerhouni, Interior Minister, announced that 2,266 people were dead and more than 10,000 people injured, and in addition, immense human and material damage, including collapsed buildings, had been inflicted.
The Government of Algeria has established an emergency headquarters, making self-help efforts toward recovery, but still needs further assistance from the international community and has requested emergency assistance from the Government of Japan.
From a humanitarian point of view of assisting the victims of the disaster, taking into account the friendly relations between Japan and Algeria, the Government of Japan has decided to dispatch this team.
Prior to the dispatching of a Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) expert team, the Government of Japan already dispatched a JDR rescue team of 61 persons from May 22 to 29, and a JDR medical team of 22 persons from May 25 to June 7. On May 23 (JST: 24), the rescue team recovered a survivor in Zemmouri, Wilaya of Boumerdes. And on May 27, Japan also decided on an emergency grant aid of 100,000 dollars.

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