SMURD officers from Romania, dead in mission in Moldova, commemorated in southern region district

Chisinau, 2 June /MOLDPRES/ - An official ceremony on commemoration of the crew of the Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication (SMURD) from Romania, killed in the line of duty in Moldova in 2016, took place in the Haragas village, southern Cantemir district, today.

Attending the event were Ambassador of Romania to Moldova Daniel Ionita, as well as the leadership of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) of the Interior Ministry, represented by major general Mihail Harabagiu.

The ceremony started with a holy religious service, officiated by a group of priests from the southern Cahul district. Afterwards, a group of children from the gymnasium of the Haragas settlement gave a recital dedicated to the heroes. Guild colleagues, firemen and rescuers from Moldova and Romania, people of the settlement laid flowers at the monument built in the memory of the heroes, recalling the sacrifice and devotion prove d by the crew during the rescuing mission.     

Three years since the passing away of the SMURD crew’s members, who died during a work mission in Moldova, is marked this year. According to IGSU, since the launch of the SMURD cross-border project, the air medical crews from Romania have made 67 flights for rescuing citizens from Moldova.   

The Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication is an integrated public intervention unit of strategic importance, without legal personality, which has in its structure integrated reanimation teams specialized in providing emergency medical and technical assistance, as well as teams with para-medical staff, specialized in providing first qualified aid.

In early June 2016, a SMURD helicopter crashed in the area of the Haragas settlement, Cantemir district. All the four members of the crew – pilot Ilie Doru Gavril, copilot Constantin Voicu Socae, physician Mihaela Dumea and medical assistant Adrian-Gabriel Sandu died. The airship and the medical staff belonged to the department from Iasi. The president of Moldova posthumously awarded all the crew members the Order of the Republic – the highest state distinction of the country, which is offered ‘’for exceptional merits, for the good of the Motherland and the mankind.’’