The Hindu : National : Armed forces step up relief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 29, 2004

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National

Armed forces step up relief

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 28. The armed forces today stepped up relief and rehabilitation measures in India and the neighbouring countries hit by Sunday's tsunami even as reliable sources here said 100 Indian Air Force personnel and their kin in Andaman & Nicobar Islands were "presumed dead."

The focus of the relief effort by the armed forces was more on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands which has not only suffered heavy damage but is difficult to access unlike the coastal areas where supplies can reach from the unaffected hinterlands, official sources said. The IAF has pressed nearly every transport aircraft it could spare along with 30 helicopters for reconnaissance, ferrying the injured and dropping supplies in India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The Navy was transporting relief material and with no survivors having been found in the waters off Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, ships have been directed to set up relief camps ashore for providing food and medical assistance.

The Coast Guard is undertaking a search for fishermen and has reported damage to 27,000 fishing boats along the Tamil Nadu coast.

`Operation sea waves'

Calling its rehabilitation efforts "Operation sea waves,' the Army has deployed elements from four regiments in the badly-affected areas of Kollam (Kerala) Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam (all in Tamil Nadu) and Karaikal (Pondicherry).

Medical camps have been set up at most of the affected locations as well as in Trincomalee and Galle in Sri Lanka and onboard a ship off Maldives. Two major medical camps were functioning in Krishna and Nellore districts.About 1,000 doctors from the Railways, which will ferry relief material on priority, were complementing their efforts. The Railways has deployed its scouts and civil defence personnel.

The three services have joined hands to ferry relief material with 80 tonnes despatched to Andaman & Nicobar Islands along with 20 tonnes of medicines. Air-dropping is also being carried out according to the district administration's requirements.The Navy has deployed its divers in the Chennai Port to make an assessment of the ships that have sunk and make sure that the navigation channels are safe. A diving team is also at work in Kollam but has found only nine bodies and no survivors. An additional diving team is also being sent at the request of the State Government.

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