UN’s largest ever humanitarian helicopter operation ends vital role in Pakistani quake

The largest humanitarian helicopter operation ever organized by the United Nations has come to an end after successfully transporting nearly 30,000 tonnes of aid supplies, tens of thousands of aid workers and other passengers to Pakistani-administered parts of Kashmir struck by a devastating earthquake eight months ago.

“We would have liked to keep a smaller fleet during the coming monsoon period when some roads could be blocked, but we do not have enough resources to maintain the operation,” UN World Food Programme (WFP) country director Michael Jones said yesterday of the UN Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS), which started two days after the massive quake killed over 73,000 people, injured nearly 70,000 others, and left millions more homeless on 8 October 2005.

“These helicopters remained crucial in transporting food and non-food items like medicine and warm clothing and they helped to prevent many deaths during the emergency phase,” Mr. Jones added.

UNHAS, which WFP administered, flew 24 helicopters until March, including eight from the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces. By the end of April, it was left with only eight and during May it worked with only four.

“WFP/UNHAS airlifted more than 28,000 tonnes of food and other aid supplies such as tents and tools, on behalf of the humanitarian community,” the chief of UNHAS air operations, Shorty Adlard, said. “This was in addition to transporting nearly 40,000 passengers, including thousands of humanitarian workers to the affected areas, and evacuating some 8,200 sick and wounded to the nearest hospitals.”

The helicopter operation proved vital in reaching hundreds of thousands of people in areas cut off by landslides. The WFP/UNHAS fleet included MI-8, MI-26 and KA32 models. The Agency also had support from US Chinooks, German Stallions and Australian Black Hawks.