Two Indian Air Force aircraft – C-130J and C-17 – landed in Indonesia today to help in the relief operations for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Central Sulawesi Province.
The aircraft carried onboard medical personnel and relief material to the island nation.
“Sharing our resources with a close friend. We have launched ‘Operation Samudra Maitri’ to assist victims of earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia,” tweeted MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.
The Operation for humanitarian assistance was launched after the telephonic conversation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President Joko Widodo on 1 October 2018, and following Indonesia’s acceptance for international aid.
The MEA said that the C-130J aircraft carried a medical team onboard along with tents and equipments to set up a field hospital. The C-17 aircraft flew with medicines, generators, tents and water to provide immediate assistance.
The C-130J took off from Hindon air base for Chennai on Tuesday. From Chennai, the aircraft took off for Kualanamu International Airport and then moved to Palu, Indonesia. The C-17 was loaded at Palam with relief material received from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), including 15.66 tonnes of tentage and generators and 16 tonnes of medicines.
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An official said on Tuesday that the medical teams have been instructed to be self-contained for 10 days. Accordingly, they are carrying their rations, generators, fuel, tentage, etc. In addition, light medical equipment including X-ray machines and medicines are being carried.
Three Indian Naval Ships – INS Tir, INS Sujatha and INS Shardul – have also been mobilised to carry out humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).
The ships are likely to reach the Central Sulawesi Province of Indonesia on 6 October 2018.
According to Indonesian authorities, the death toll on Tuesday rose to 1,234 in the 7.5-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Sulawesi island last week.
The twin disasters have left the coastal city of Palu and the adjoining areas in ruins and with a shortage of food, water, and fuel.
Volcanic alert
Days after the earthquake, authorities sounded a Level III volcano alert in North Sulawesi on Wednesday.
Mount Soputan in Minahasa regency emitted a 4-kilometer column of ash in the morning, after which the authorities raised the volcano’s status to Level III of the four-level national alert system.
Read More: Now, North Sulawesi’s Mount Soputan volcano erupts, status raised to Level III
According to a report in The Jakarta Post, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) has advised local residents to refrain from entering the area within a 4- to 6.5-kilometer radius around Mount Soputan.