Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan has dispatched an urban search and rescue team to Sri Lanka, where Cyclone Ditwah has unleashed catastrophic flooding and landslides, leaving more than 400 people dead.
A Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft took off on Wednesday carrying a 47-member rescue contingent along with 6.5 tonnes of essential gear.
At the send-off ceremony in Islamabad, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said the team was being deployed to support Sri Lankan authorities in their ongoing rescue operations. He emphasized that both Pakistan’s government and people stood firmly with Sri Lanka during this crisis, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had instructed that Pakistan extend “full-out support” wherever needed.
Malik said Pakistan began assisting Sri Lanka immediately after the cyclone struck on November 28. A Pakistan Navy vessel already in the region was tasked to remain on station and help evacuate those trapped by the heavy rains. He described Cyclone Ditwah as “unfortunate and unprecedented”, noting that recent years had shown fewer major storms in the South Pacific, with weather activity shifting towards the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.
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According to Malik, the team being sent is a highly trained military unit that has previously worked alongside international partners in major rescue missions. He added that they would remain in Sri Lanka for as long as the situation demanded. He also revealed that 200 tonnes of relief cargo left Karachi on Tuesday aboard a commercial ship, with more assistance ready to be dispatched if requested.
He warned that climate change was posing serious risks to all nations, stressing the need for shared global expertise on forecasting and early warning systems.
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Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also addressed the gathering, offering condolences on behalf of Pakistan and confirming that additional aid shipments would be sent from Lahore and Karachi. The Sri Lankan ambassador, who attended the ceremony, was assured that Pakistan would do “everything possible” to support relief efforts. “We stand with you in these testing times,” Chaudhry said.
