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TSF rushes to the aid of earthquake victims in the Philippines

A team of telecoms experts from aid agency Télécoms Sans Frontières has been dispatched to help communities on the island of Bohol in the Philippines which has been devastated by an earthquake.

More than three million people have been affected by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which triggered landslides engulfing homes and destroying many infrastructures.

Power has been restored in urban areas, but 600,000 families living in rural and remote areas are still without electricity and telecommunications, leaving certain communities isolated from the rest of the island.

Disaster zones

“We are aware of the need for telecommunications in disaster zones and are reaching out to the most remote areas of the island, to not only help co-ordinate the much needed humanitarian aid, but also to provide means of contact for the many families affected by this disaster,” said a TSF spokesman.

Members of the Inmarsat-sponsored emergency telecoms agency are equipped with BGAN terminals and IsatPhone Pro satellite phones.