ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has dispatched a 47-member rescue team by air to Sri Lanka along with 6.5 tons of equipment, including temporary bridges, to support recovery efforts after Cyclone Ditwah killed more than 450 people, the state broadcaster said on Wednesday.
A Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft transported rescue officials to assist Pakistan Navy personnel already taking part in humanitarian and rescue efforts. Radio Pakistan did not specify the route the aircraft took amid an ongoing airspace row between Pakistan and India.
Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka in late November, triggering severe floods and landslides across the country. Authorities described the disaster as the worst flooding in decades and said it has killed at least 465 people, with 336 still missing.
“NDMA [National Disaster Management Authority] remains fully committed to responding to disasters and mitigating their adverse impacts both within Pakistan and in affected countries abroad,” Radio Pakistan quoted Federal Minister Dr. Tariq Fazl Chaudhry as saying.
It added that Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan Fred Senevirathne had expressed gratitude to the Pakistani government and people for the “timely provision of emergency assistance.”
The report said the NDMA has also arranged to send relief goods on Sri Lankan Airlines flights operating between Colombo and Lahore.
On Tuesday, Pakistan sent 200 tons of humanitarian aid to the island nation by sea on the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after Islamabad said India had refused to grant airspace clearance to a special Pakistani flight carrying relief goods for more than 60 hours.
New Delhi dismissed the claim as “anti-India misinformation.”
The relief items dispatched include family tents, blankets, quilts, life jackets, inflatable boats, de-watering pumps, lamps, mats, mosquito nets, infant formula, ready-to-eat food and essential medicines.
Pakistan Navy ships and helicopters have already been taking part in rescue operations in Sri Lanka. Earlier this week, they evacuated a family stranded on a rooftop for five days and moved them to safety.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka share friendly ties and cooperate in trade, defense, education, culture and sports, particularly cricket.
Pakistan has also been reeling from floods this year that killed more than 1,000 people and affected around 3.6 million across a country considered highly vulnerable to climate change, where scientists say rising temperatures are making South Asian monsoon rains heavier and more erratic.
