Sri Lanka to send military teams to quake-hit Myanmar to assist in rescue, relief

Colombo: Sri Lanka will deploy three military teams comprising rescue, relief and medical assistance in earthquake-hit Myanmar in addition to $1 million in donations, the defence ministry has said.

Sri Lanka’s special aircraft with relief assistance to quake victims in Myanmar will leave on Saturday, the ministry said on Friday.

The three military teams comprising rescue, relief and medical assistance would be deployed in addition to the state’s donation of one million dollars, the ministry said.

Additionally, the three Buddhist sect leaders have organised relief assistance in view of the close religious ties between the two countries.

The Temple of the Tooth, the foremost shrine of the Buddhist majority, said it was collecting 15 million rupees separately to be donated to Myanmar as earthquake relief.

Myanmar and Sri Lanka are historically linked in the practice of Theravada Buddhism.

Theravada is the oldest surviving school of Buddhism.

Over 3,100 people have died in the March 28 Myanmar earthquake, nearly 5,000 injured, and more than 370 remain missing nationwide.