B-FAST offers medical assistance to Armenia after the explosion of a fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh

On 25 September, a violent explosion occurred at a fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh. The current human toll is extremely high: no fewer than 170 people died and 349 others were injured, many of them seriously burned.

Following this accident, Armenia requested assistance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and via the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). It has also made a direct request for help from our country, which over the past 40 years has developed considerable expertise in the acute treatment and follow-up of burn patients. Belgium, through B-FAST, decided to respond positively to the Armenian request. A medical team specialising in severe burns is travelling to Yerevan today. Made up of volunteers from the FPS Public Health and Defence, this team will be in contact with several hospitals in the Armenian capital in order to exchange know-how and best practices. It will be responsible for preparing the medical evacuation of seriously burned patients to Belgium. After arrival in Belgium, they will receive treatment at the burns centre of the Queen Astrid Military Hospital in Neder-over-Heembeek (Brussels). Foreign Affairs is in contact with the Armenian authorities to ensure effective coordination on the ground and facilitate the mission.

By deploying this B-FAST mission, Belgium wishes to demonstrate its full solidarity with Armenia, a country in which it has just opened an embassy with a view to further strengthening the ties between our two countries.

B-FAST is the structure of the federal government that is activated when providing emergency aid abroad and consists of the FPS Home Affairs, the FPS Policy and Support (BOSA), the FPS Public Health, Defence and the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, in which the Prime Minister's Office is also involved.