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Arielle, 61, was on her way to work when she learned that she would be called up. A teacher in a Geneva primary school, she prepared her replacement, explained to her little pupils aged 7-8 that she would be absent for a few days. “Our bag is always ready. When we learn of our commitment, we slip in the last things and we leave, ”she adds, from Kloten airport, where she joined the Swiss rescue chain, mobilized by the Directorate for Development and Cooperation. (SDC), under the leadership of the Department of Foreign Affairs. About 80 people take off on Monday evening: specialists from the Army’s Military Disaster Aid, seismologists, coordinators, rescuers with dogs, including Arielle.
