The Dutch contribution to the relief effort after the tsunami in South-East Asia
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence was involved in the relief effort after the tsunami of Boxing Day 2004 in various ways.
The Disaster Identification Team (RIT) of the Dutch authorities, which was tasked with the identification of bodies in Thailand, included 22 personnel from the Defence organisation, among them dentists from the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Royal Netherlands Army and 10 personnel of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force sent 2 air traffic controllers to Sumatra to help restore communications at the airports. The air force also provided a KDC-10 transport aircraft to deliver aid supplies and repatriate victims. The army sent engineers, to coordinate the construction of Bailey bridges on Sumatra and instruct the Indonesian civil authorities on how to build them.
Updated: 7 April 2011