ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: Some of the 13 US helicopters engaged in relief operations in earthquake-stricken areas may be withdrawn for maintenance but 20 more helicopters would arrive this week to join the work, the head of the US relief mission said here on Tuesday.

Rear Admiral Mike Le Fever told Dawn on return to the US Disaster Assistance Centre at Chaklala air base from a visit to quake-devastated areas that the new fleet of helicopters would be arriving from bases in the United States and Germany.

Most of the US helicopters now in operation were flown from Afghanistan.

Adm Fever said parts of a modern field hospital, to be placed in Muzaffarabad, have started arriving in Pakistan and the whole process was expected to be completed in four days. Five trucks will carry the parts from Karachi to Muzaffarabad.

“If everything goes smoothly, the hospital will be operational by the end of next week,” the officer said.

It will be a big hospital having 60 beds, over 30 Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and several operating rooms. Over 200 people form the hospital staff.

Asked how long the hospital staff will stay in Muzaffarabad, he said: “As long as Pakistan asks us to remain here”.

“We care (for) Pakistani friends and are ready to do all that we can do to alleviate the sufferings of the quake-hit people,” he remarked.

Adm Fever said the US has delivered engineering equipment to clear the roads blocked by landslides for making maximum areas accessible in the shortest possible time. He said 130 Construction Battalions (CBs) will help clear the roads.

So far the US Disaster Assistance Centre had airlifted more than 2,800 injured persons from different affected parts to various hospitals and delivered over one million pounds of food, medicines, tents, blankets, water and other relief goods.

Questioned about the shortage of tents in the quake-hit areas, he said: “We are looking for different options to provide shelter to the people forced to bear the brunt of inclement weather under the open sky”.

He said pre-fabricated shelters were also being brought for the purpose.

In reply to a question, he said more medicines, engineering and surgical equipment and disinfectants are in the pipeline. He agreed that disinfectants in large quantity are required to obviate the threat of a breakout of epidemic as a result of the decaying bodies in the areas devastated by the earthquake.

Earlier, he travelled by a special helicopter carrying relief goods to Muzaffarabad and Chakothi. On its return, the helicopter brought four patients. These patients were rushed to hospitals by ambulances from Chaklala Air Base.