India launches Operation Samudra Maitri to provide assistance to earthquake and tsunami victims in Indonesia

The ‘Operation Samudra Maitri’has been launched by the Government of India (GoI) to provide massive humanitarian assistance to the earthquake and tsunami victims in Indonesia. Two Indian Air Force aircrafts – C-130J and C-17 – departed recently with medical personnel and relief material. The C-130J aircraft is carrying a medical team along with tents and equipment to set up a field hospital. The C-17 aircraft is carrying medicines, generators, tents and water to provide immediate assistance. Three Indian Naval Ships – INS Tir, INS Sujatha and INS Shardul – have also been mobilised 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. An estimated 2.4 million people were affected, 61,867 displaced and 66,000 homes destroyed.