Tsunami kills over 2,500 in Sri Lanka
27/12/2004 12:07
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga who was on a private visit to
Britain is to cut short her visit and to return to Sri Lanka on Monday, the
president office said in Colombo Monday.
Kumaratunga has called for
international assistance in the face of the country's worst ever humanitarian
disaster and declared a state of "national disaster."
Soon after the tidal
waves hit, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa traveled to the southern coastal
areas on a special Air Force helicopter. He instructed local authorities to
provide immediate relief to the people.
The towns of Trincomalee, Batticaloa
and Ampara along with the southern towns of Matara and Galle are the worst
hit.
Government relief agencies and Security Forces launched an immediate
relief and rescue operation as the enormity of the disaster became
apparent.
The President's Secretary, Public Security Ministry Secretary and
Commanders of three Armed Forces are coordinating the relief effort. Steps have
also been taken to widen the relief service operations jointly launched by the
tree Armed Forces and Police.
A large number of Air Force helicopters and
Navy boats have been deployed to rescue the affected people. Security forces
said the affected people are now being evacuated to safe places.
Meanwhile
Social Services Minister Sumedha G. Jayasena said the Government will provide
all possible relief measures. The Social Services Ministry is open 24
hours.
As an estimated 2,500 persons were killed yesterday morning by the
massive tidal waves, the Official Daily News reported.
Massive sea waves,
triggered by an earthquakes measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale in Southeast
Asia, crashed into coastal villages over a wide area of Sri Lanka on Sunday,
killing at least 2,500 people and displacing one million others.
The
earthquake occurred at 7:59 am (0059 GMT) off the coast of Aceh province on the
northern Indonesian island of Sumatra.
The Sri Lankan police said that a
minor earth tremor which lasted about two minutes had preceded the tidal waves
around 07:10 a.m. local time.
Xinhua News
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