Airbus Helicopters Foundation joined rescue activity in Northern Chile’s Atacama Desert region after massive flooding and landslides

Blagnac, France, 27-4-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — An H125 rotorcraft chartered by the Airbus Helicopters Foundation has joined rescue activity in Northern Chile’s Atacama Desert region, where the heaviest rainfall in 80 years has caused massive flooding and landslides.

With support provided by Airbus Helicopters representatives in Chile, the Santiago-based H125 from Transporte Aereo Albatros Ltda. was flown to the affected zone, where it began transporting search and rescue personnel. This rotorcraft has also been available for flights to locate those trapped or isolated by the natural disaster. Recent downpours in the Atacama Desert region – which normally is one of the world’s driest areas – destroyed homes and bridges, cut off roads, and left thousands stranded as rivers broke their banks and flash floods filled dry valleys. “Helping those in need is a vital role that rotorcraft perform around the world during times of crisis, and supporting the ongoing rescue operations in Chile fulfills our primary mission for the Airbus Helicopters Foundation,” said Guillaume Faury, who is CEO of Airbus Helicopters and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Foundation.

More information on the Airbus Helicopters Corporate Foundation is available on its website: http://www.fondationairbushelicopters.com

About Airbus Corporate Helicopters Foundation
The Airbus Helicopters Corporate Foundation was created in 2012 as an independent, apolitical and non-profit legal entity that unites the company’s humanitarian activities under one framework with a focus on emergency response; aid for developing countries; aid for the ill, handicapped, and those living in extremely difficult conditions; and youth development through the transfer of aeronautical know-how.

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