THE QATAR mission for helping victims of the earthquake in Indonesia arrived in Solo on Tuesday, according to a press release.

The mission, consisting of officers of the Rescue Team of Lekhwaya, representatives of Qatar Authority for Charitable Activities (QACA) and two medical teams of HMC and Qatar Armed Forces, left Doha for Indonesia within 24 hours of the announcement of an Emiri order.

“The Indonesian government has identified a location for the Qatari mission so that they could start relief works soon after their arrival there”, the statement quoting Mahdi al-Kahtani, head of the Lekhwaya delegation, said.

The statement also said that a comprehensive survey would help set the period of the campaign. Lack of services like communications, roads, and co-ordination impedes quick action.

The general director of QACA, Ahmad al-Marikhi, said that Qatar has allocated QR500,000 for medicines and medical equipment in addition to 1,000 tents, food items, mattresses, and blankets.

He confirmed that the period of the campaign would be decided after a survey in the entire area.

“There is no clear information until now on the situation in the affected area.”

The head of the medical team, Dr Abdulwahhab al-Musleh, said that 18 doctors of different specialisation are participating in the mission, “and we have brought with us all medicines and equipment required to establish a field hospital and to treat all diseases. Our work would be centred in the remote affected areas”.

Dr Mohamed al-Merri, head of the Armed Forces delegation, said that the mission visited until now four damaged villages to study the level of devastation.

An airplane loaded with the second cargo of relief goods left Doha on Wednesday for Indonesia.