Relief material sent to Indonesia by spl IAF Aircraft

New Delhi, May 29: An Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft left here this afternoon for Jakarta carrying relief material to earthquake- hit Indonesia where a 6.3 richter temblor last Saturday left at least 3,875 dead.

The aircraft -- captained by Wg Cdr A Upadhyay of 25 Sqn AF 'Himalayan Eagles' -- carried a 35-tonne load of relief material comprising emergency medicines, tents, ready-to-cook food, blankets and the like.

Another aircraft -- also from AF Station Palam -- was being planned for tomorrow with more relief supplies for the earth-quake victims in Central Java province of Indonesia, said an official spokesman here.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, now in Beijing on an official visit to China, had last night directed senior officials of his Ministry to rush emergency aid to the quake-stricken area after a telephonic conversation with his Indonesian counterpart Juwono Sudarsono.

As part of Indian relief for the Indonesian quake victims, naval vessel INS Rajput, which was in the vicinity, had also been diverted to Jakarta where it was expected to reach there tomorrow afternoon.

The naval ship was carrying about six tonnes of relief material, including medicines, rice, tea and sugar collected from sister vessels which were also in the area.

In addition, the naval vessel has a six-person medical team on board comprising two doctors to render assistance as desired, said the spokesman.

Another Indian naval vessel INS Tabar was also scheduled to visit Indonesia and was expected to reach Jakarta on June 7 next. It was currently in Chennai and would be loaded with some relief material, the spokesman added.

UNI

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