Afghan Quake Victims Get Help from the Sky

Saint-Hubert, (Quebec), Canada, April 8, 2002 - Images captured by various satellites above Afghanistan are helping international relief efforts following last week's earthquakes in the Hindu Kush Mountains in the northern region of the country. The earthquakes left 100,000 homeless and killed 600 people. The images from space were provided by member space agencies under the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters. Rescue workers will use these images for more accurate and extensive information on the devastated region to evaluate the damage.

The International Charter on Space and Major Disasters partners went into action in response to a request received through the Ottawa-based Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness on March 28, 2002. Space-agencies, members of the International Charter, tasked their satellites to capture images over the disaster stricken area. These space-based resources include the Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT-1, the European Space Agency's ERS-2 radar satellite, the French space agency's optical SPOT satellites. As a result, up-to-date maps and information obtained from archived and newly acquired images are being forwarded to the rescue authorities.

The International Charter on Space and Major Disasters is the expression of a collective resolve to put space technology at the service of rescue authorities in the event of a major disaster. Its current members are the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the French Space Agency (CNES), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

This Charter was set up in the framework of the UNISPACE III Conference of the United Nations in 1999 and has been in force since November 1, 2000.