Foreign aid flooding into tsunami-hit Sri Lanka
29/12/2004 15:26
Foreign aid started to pour in with 16 countries pledging assistance to the
stricken victims in the coastal areas of Sri Lanka, local media reported
Wednesday. The Daily News newspaper said the Russian government dispatched on
Monday two planes with medical supplies, rescue teams, sniffer dogs and other
relief goods covering tents and blankets. An Air France airbus carrying
medical teams and supplies landed at the Bandaranaike International Airport in
Colombo on Tuesday. A 20-member Japanese team of doctors, nurses and
paramedics have also been dispatched to Sri Lanka. Four Indian vessels with
diving and medical teams have been dispatched to assist local officials in the
rescue mission and relief distribution. Two of them have berthed at Trincomalee
port on the eastern side, and another at Galle port in the southern part. A
food aid package from China is expected to arrive here later on Wednesday, the
Chinese Embassy here told Xinhua. The Daily News quoting sources from the
foreign ministry said India, Pakistan, Russia, Japan, the United States,
Britain, China, Nepal, Greece, Israel, Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark,
Sweden and the Netherlands have made aid pledges through their missions in
Colombo. The United Nations have also rushed to answer the emergency plea by
the Sri Lankan government and a team comprising eight representatives from the
UN sub-groups including the World Health Organization is to arrive here to
assist the government in assessment and relief coordination
activities. Sunday's earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale in
Indonesia triggered devastating aftermath in a number of coastal nations across
Asia and Sri Lanka is among those worst-hit by the tsunamis.
Xinhua
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