Two Russian transport aircraft carrying a helicopter, tents and other
equipment and aid workers left Monday morning for tsunamis-stricken Sri Lanka to
help victims in the country, said Itar-Tass news agency.
The two planes were carrying about 25 tons of tents and equipment, an
official of Russian Emergency Situations Ministry was quoted as saying.
The rescue helicopter Bo-105, carrying a group of rescuers, will fly over the
area of the calamity for searching and evacuating people.
Tsunamis triggered by a series of huge undersea earthquakes near the
Indonesian island of Sumatra swept across the coastal countries of the Indian
Ocean rim Sunday, destroying villages, flooding cities and killing over 15,000
people.
Sri Lanka was the worst-hit country, where over 6,500 were killed in the huge
tsunami.
The Sri Lankan government has declared a state of emergency and appealed for
international help after the disaster.
