Sochi promises to face any emergency

Sochi, Feb 2 (IANS) Russian authorities have promised to live up to their name and resolve in case any emergency that may arise during the Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

A total of 2,000 emergency personnel have undertaken almost 1,000 sessions in preparation for the Games, Xinhua quoted Aleksander Chupriyan, the deputy head of the Ministry of Extraordinary Situations said Friday.

A 70-strong search-and-rescue squad will be on hand for anyone trapped in the mountains, he added. "We are ready but let us wish the Ministry is not needed."

There will also be up to 1,300 medical personnel, assisted by volunteers with medical and language training, on standby.

The ministry has also deployed 260 units of rescue equipment, including seven helicopters equipped for medical emergencies in the mountains, a motorcycle squad, quadbikes, snowmobiles and cars suitable for driving in the mountains.

A special wire net has been secured on top of all potential landslide sites in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains.

US President Barack Obama has thrown his support behind Russian security preparations for the Sochi Winter Olympics, disagreeing with several US congressmen who have cautioned families against attending, a media report said Friday.

Sochi, a city in Krasnodar Krai region of Russia, is located on the Black Sea coast near the border between Georgia/Abkhazia and Russia.