Mexican BIRTA teams to aid victims in Guatemala

The first rescue teams from the Aztec “Topos” (moles) International Rescue Brigade (BIRTA ) of Mexico have traveled to Guatemala , bringing their support to local search and rescue teams in areas affected by the “ Fuego ” volcano eruption.

According to Román Ruiz Jiménez , coordinator of BIRTA in Querétaro , one brigade has already left the city along with another one from Oaxaca .

The rescue team from Mexico is expected to be formed of 50 rescuers . Ruiz Jiménez explained that coordination efforts to send “Topos” personnel to Guatemala started on Tuesday , as result of a direct request by BIRTA’s branch in Guatemala. The team will collaborate directly with its Guatemalan counterpart.

In addition to the brigade from Oaxaca, other rescue teams from Querétaro, Nayarit, Michoacán, and Coahuila are organizing to join the Mexican “Topos” in the next few days. “We don’t want to leave immediately because there are people working over there already and we need to know the magnitude of the catastrophe before we jump into action… with brigades being relayed, this job will probably take more than a month because of the eruption’s magnitude and damage,” he stated.

On Tuesday night, four representatives from the Querétaro branch made their way to Guatemala. One of them is a veterinary doctor who managed to obtain a private donation of ozone therapy medical equipment , which aids in the healing and scarring of burns. The equipment will be used to treat the victims of the volcanic eruption. The embassy will facilitate procedures so that burn victims may be brought to the country to be hospitalized when needed. They’ve also put two mobile medical units at the disposal of the rescue teams, as well as a unit for logistics and supervision . “Mexico reiterates its solidarity towards the people of Guatemala,” stated the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

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