On Saturday, April 25, 2015, Nepal suffered a magnitud 7.81 earthquake that affected the Asian country. Its epicenter was located 81 km northwest of Kathmandu, the capital city, specifically in the district of Lamjung. In addition to the substantial damage, the number of victims exceeded 8,000, including 6 Spaniards who were in the Langtang Valley.
On May 1, UME received the order to respond, and the 4th emergency response battalion (BIEM IV) prepared for its deployment. UME personnel, along with seven civil guards, arrived in Kathmandu on May 4, after two layovers in Oman and Delhi.
Its main missions were two: reconnaissance and victim search in Langtang, epicenter of the earthquake, and underpinning and stabilization of structures in Chapagaun, one of the biggest towns near Kathmandu, which was severly impacted by the earthquake.
During the intervention in Nepal, the USAR team worked to secure houses and a temple near the town, assess the structures and build a bamboo and tarpaulin residence. Thanks to all of this, 80 people were able to return home. The order to end the mission was received on Saturday, May 9.
It was the first time that an SP-USAR-UME team was deployed on an international mission as a United Nations classified team.
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