India launches Operation Samudra Maitri to help earthquake-tsunami victims in Indonesia

India has launched a massive operation - Operation Samudra Maitri to help the earthquake and tsunami victims in Indonesia. Two aircraft and three naval ships carrying relief material to the country were dispatched on Wednesday morning, the External Affairs Ministry (MEA) said on Wednesday.

Operation Samudra Maitri for humanitarian assistance was launched following Indonesia's acceptance of international aid after a telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on October 1, the MEA said in a statement.

The India Air Force aircraft - C-130J departed with a medical team, including tents and equipment to set up a field hospital, while the C-17 aircraft carried medicines, generators, tents and water to provide immediate assistance, the MEA said.
        
Three Indian Naval Ships -- INS Tir, INS Sujatha and INS Shardul -- will carry out humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). These ships are likely to reach the Central Sulawesi province of Indonesia on October 6, the ministry said.
        
Indonesia's Sulawesi Island was hit by twin quake-tsunami last Friday. The magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck at dusk generated a tsunami said to have been as high as 6 metres (nearly 20 feet) in places. The death toll caused by the disaster has risen to nearly 1,400.