UK sends military experts to aid Indonesia quake relief

Britain will send military experts and a transport aircraft to Indonesia to help with the relief effort following the recent earthquake tsunami, the Ministry of Defence has said.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has agreed to deploy an RAF A400M aircraft stationed in the Middle East and a small team of UK military experts to assist with the aid mission.

It is thought there are more than 1,500 people dead, missing, or injured after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami struck the island of Sulawesi on Friday.

Thousands have been left homeless.

Mr Williamson said on Tuesday evening: “Britain stands united with Indonesia as they recover from this devastating tragedy.

“An RAF transport aircraft and her crew will provide vital supplies to those who are in need.

“This shows that once again Britain and her allies across the globe can depend on us to provide support and assistance no matter the time, no matter the place, and no matter the problem.”

Earlier on Tuesday, a team of five advisers arrived in the Indonesian capital Jakarta and another humanitarian specialist has been deployed to the country.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt made an initial £2 million of UK aid available for the relief effort.

The British experts will assess the situation and decide if further support is needed.

Some of the team hope to go to affected areas including Palu, the largest city that was heavily damaged.

Indonesia earthquake
Indonesia earthquake

It has been difficult for supplies of food, water, fuel and medicine to reach some of the worst-affected areas.

Save the Children has warned that survivors are facing growing health risks with an increasing chance of disease outbreaks.

The charity said clean water supplies are running low and thousands of families are living in “makeshift shelters and cramped evacuation centres”.

Tom Howells, programme implementation director, described the situation as “a recipe for disaster”.

“There is debris and rubbish everywhere, and it’s difficult for families to maintain hygiene standards, quite apart from getting access to food and clean drinking water for children and babies.

“We’re really concerned that we could start seeing a growing number of children getting sick with illnesses like diarrhoea.

“The destruction and loss are absolutely heart-wrenching, and the suffering on a scale that’s hard to fathom. It will be a long recovery process.”

A team of staff from Save the Children’s partner charity Yayasan Sayangi Tunas Cilik (YSTC) are in Palu, the capital of central Sulawesi and epicentre of the crisis.

The government of Indonesia is leading the response and more than 25 other countries have offered assistance.

Blankets, sleeping mats, water containers and ambulances are being sent to the worst-affected areas as part of the relief effort.

UK aid is already supporting relief efforts through funding to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, which has 175 volunteers and staff on the ground.

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