India launches 'Operation Samudra Maitri' to help tsunami-hit Indonesia
What's the story
India has launched a massive operation to provide assistance to the earthquake-tsunami victims in Indonesia, dispatching two aircraft and three naval ships carrying relief material to the country, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said today.
'Operation Samudra Maitri' was launched after a telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on October 1, and following Indonesia's acceptance of international aid.
Information
Two IAF aircraft departed with medical personnel, relief material
Two Indian Air Force aircraft, C-130J and C-17, departed today with medical personnel and relief material, the MEA informed. C-130J is carrying a medical team along with tents and equipment to set up a field hospital while C-17 is carrying medicines, generators, tents and water.
Assistance
Three Indian Navy ships on their way to help victims
Meanwhile, three Indian Navy ships, INS Tir, INS Sujatha and INS Shardul, have also been mobilized to carry out Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
These ships are likely to reach the Central Sulawesi province of Indonesia on October 6.
The death toll in Indonesia's twin quake-tsunami disaster, which decimated parts of the Central Indonesian island of Sulawesi, has already climbed to nearly 1,400.
Information
On Friday, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Sulawesi
On Friday around dusk, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck just off the Central island of Sulawesi, setting off a tsunami that engulfed the coastal city of Palu. The tsunami is said to have been as high as 6 meters (nearly 20 feet) in some places.