Veterinary Rescue Team In Epicentre Of Earthquake In Costa Rica

Veterinary Rescue Team In Epicentre Of Earthquake In Costa Rica

On January 8th, 2009 an earthquake made Costa Rica tremble. The Cinchona area was the most heavily hit. With roads and bridges destroyed, the only way for rescue teams to get there was by air. Two veterinarians were flown to epicentre to rescue the starving and severely injured animals.

Strongest Earthquake in 150 Years Hits Costa Rica

National Rescue Teams were aided by Black Hawk Helicopters from the US and Colombian Air Force to evacuate over 600 people, mainly from the villages Vara Blanca and Cinchona. 300 tourists were trapped in the Parque Nacional Volcan Poas area. The earthquake death toll rose to 34 dead and 64 people reported missing.

A few days after the earthquake two vets, Dra. Laura Villegas and Dr.Viktor van Marrewijk, were sent to the epicentre of the earthquake. Two evacuation flights were made. The Black Hawk Helicopter of the Colombian Air Force and a small sports plane assisted in getting as many animals as possible to safer grounds.

The vet team aided as many animals as possible and left food for the ones that were left behind. 63 animals were brought to the animal shelter in San Rafael de Heredia, where they received the necessary medical care.

Earthquake statistics: -Date: 8 Jan 2009 -Time: 01:21:34 p.m. local time (6:21:34 p.m. UTC) -6.2 Richter Scale - Epicenter: 20 miles (32 kilometers) north-northwest of San Jose. Near Volcan Poas NP.