On January 26 2001 a devastating earthquake flattened many large cities and close to 900 villages in the Indian state of Gujarat. Red Cross officials estimated the number of wounded at 40 to 60,000, the number of dead was anybody's guess, but sure to surmount the toll of the the terrible quake that hit Turkey several years earlier.

One of the first medical teams on the scene was the Japanese Red Cross Emergency Response Unit. It was the first assignment of this unit, which was set up after two years of careful study and preparation. The team of 3 doctors, 4 nurses and support personnel performed outstandingly and were widely praised by patients as well as other medical teams from abroad. One Indian patient treated by the Japanese, with tears flowing down his cheeks, called them 'gods'. A spokeswoman of the International Red Cross said the team had accomplished the 'best assessment' in the field and was doing 'outstanding work'. A representative of the Norwegian army said he was 'very impressed'. He especially called attention to the team's discipline and organization. According to the officer they accomplished 'maximum results with minimum resources'. Treating over 100 patients daily and performing challenging operations in a small, hot and fly-infested tent in the flattened city of Sukhpar, the team kept its cool at all times and, in spite of long lines of patients and aftershocks, never panicked

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