NDMA sends 47-member team, 6.5 tonnes of aid to provide relief from cyclone devastation
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a dedicated search and rescue team was dispatched early Wednesday to support operations in the affected areas of Sri Lanka.
A Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft with a team of 47 members along with 6.5 tonnes of essential equipment has departed to join the humanitarian and rescue efforts.
The departure ceremony for the aid shipment was attended by Federal Minister Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Chairman NDMA Lt. Inam Haider Malik and Sri Lankan High Commissioner Fred Senevirathne.
Dr. Speaking on the occasion, Chaudhry said that NDMA remains fully committed to responding to disasters and mitigating their negative consequences both in Pakistan and in affected countries abroad.
Senevirathne expressed gratitude to the people and the government of Pakistan for the timely delivery of relief.
NDMA has also arranged for the dispatch of relief goods through Sri Lankan Airlines, which operates between Colombo and Lahore. Yesterday, as per the Prime Minister’s special directive, the NDMA sent 200 tonnes of relief supplies to Sri Lanka via sea transport.
The relief items sent include family tents, blankets, quilts, life jackets, inflatable boats, drainage pumps, lamps, mats, mosquito nets, infant formula, ready-to-eat food and essential medicine. Pakistan Navy ships and helicopters are actively engaged in relief operations in Sri Lanka.
Read: Sri Lanka floods rise, death toll hits 69
Following a special request from the President of Sri Lanka to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the NDMA is also sending temporary bridges from the Pakistan Army to support recovery and access efforts in the affected regions.
Yesterday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry reported that its humanitarian aid mission to Sri Lanka was delayed for more than 60 hours due to India withholding full flight clearance.
The ministry said the partial approval given by India late on Sunday, after a 48-hour wait, was operationally impractical as it was limited to only a few hours and not valid for the return journey.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the delay as “a serious impediment to this urgent relief mission” intended for the “fraternal people of Sri Lanka”.
India has denied all allegations that it blocked airspace for Pakistan’s humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka
At least 153 people have been killed in Sri Lanka following landslides and floods caused by Cyclone Ditwah, with 191 others missing and more than half a million affected nationwide.
According to the Disaster Management Centre, more than 78,000 people have been moved to nearly 800 relief centres, mostly set up in schools.
