Australia sent a team of 72 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) specialists to Japan to assist with rescue efforts following Friday afternoon’s devastating earthquake.

On Saturday, Attorney-General Robert McClelland said Australia will send “The National Security Committee of Cabinet met this morning following a request from the Japanese Government for rescue expertise from Australia.”

“A NSW-based Urban Search and Rescue Heavy Task Force is scheduled to fly out from Amberley RAAF Base late this evening on a C17 Globemaster Australian Defence Force plane, arriving in Japan tomorrow morning,” Mr McClelland said.

An additional team of rescue sniffer dogs from Queensland has also be sent to Japan with the USAR team.

The USAR team is self sufficient for 10 days and will be deployed with 22 tonnes of rescue equipment and supplies.

These rescue specialists teams are experts at recovering people who are trapped due to structural collapse and consist of highly trained emergency services workers, medical staff and engineers. They have expert search, rescue, medical, engineering and support capabilities.

USAR teams can conduct search and rescue operations in a full range of terrains and situations including undertaking tunnelling and shoring work.

These are the same type of rescue experts who were deployed by Australia to New Zealand after last month’s Christchurch earthquake.

The USAR team were accompanied by an Emergency Management Australia liaison officer to ensure any requests from Japan for further Australian assistance are met as soon as possible.

The Australian Government also has an Australian medical assistance team (AUSMAT) that can be deployed if requested by Japan.