Plate sale to help rescue group

ABU DHABI // More than a million dirhams from the proceeds of an auction of distinctive car number plates will go to an international group which co-ordinates emergency responses to large-scale disasters. The police announced yesterday that Dh1.3 million from its Unique Numbers auction, to be held during Abu Dhabi International Motor Show, will be donated to the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (Insarag).

Abu Dhabi Police have held several registration number auctions at which motorists have bid large sums for distinctive numbers. "The money of the donation comes from the proceeds of the unique numbers project in line with its motto 'a unique number for a unique goal'," said Major Mohammad al Ansari, the head of the Abu Dhabi Police ambulance and rescue section. Major al Ansari, who is also the regional deputy director of the UN-affiliated Insarag, said the money would help the group in its role of co-ordinating international search-and-rescue responses in countries hit by disasters. Insarag specialises in responding to earthquakes, often co-ordinating multi-agency operations to rescue survivors trapped under debris.

Eighty to 90 plates will be auctioned, each bearing two- to five-digit numbers. About a thousand vehicles go on display today at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre as the International Motor Show starts its five-day run. [e-mail]