The UAE has sent rescue teams and 20 tonnes of aid to Sri Lanka after the island nation was battered by a deadly cyclone.
More than 400 people have been killed and hundreds are missing after Cyclone Ditwah left a trail of destruction. It brought torrential rain that caused severe flooding and landslides.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed on Monday issued a directive for a major humanitarian operation to deliver critical support after the disaster, which Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called “the largest and most challenging” in the country's history.
The UAE relief mission is led by the Joint Operations Command and includes teams from the UAE Aid Agency, the Emirates Red Crescent Authority and Abu Dhabi Civil Defence. Emergency workers from the UAE aim to reach the worst-affected communities to deliver assistance.
The disaster has affected more than one million people across Sri Lanka, disrupted essential services and caused damage to hundreds of homes.
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People look for survivors and lost belongings near a damaged house in Kandy after landslides and flooding in Sri Lanka caused by Cyclone Ditwah. Reuters -
Buildings damaged by the floods in Peradeniya. More than 390 people in Sri Lanka have been killed in the cyclone. AP -
A Buddhist monk stands near his flooded temple in a suburb of Colombo. EPA -
Rescue workers move Colombo residents to safety. EPA -
Floodwater flows past homes in Sarasavigama village. AP -
Hundreds are missing after heavy rain inundated the country. EPA -
The cyclone caused the worst flooding in the country for decades. EPA -
Sri Lankans queue for tea at a relief camp at a school in Wellampitiya, on the outskirts of Colombo. AFP -
Sri Lankans have sheltered in schools after fleeing the floods. EPA -
Rescue workers take Colombo residents to boats amid evacuation operations. EPA -
Rescuers distribute food to people caught in the deadly floods. EPA -
Authorities have warned there is a high risk of further landslides because mountains are still saturated with rainwater. EPA -
Houses partially submerged in floodwaters after heavy rain in Kaduwela, on the outskirts of Colombo. AFP -
Volunteers help in evacuating a flood-affected woman after heavy rain in Wellampitiya, near Colombo. AFP -
People wade through a flooded road in Wellampitiya. AFP -
People ride a boat across a flooded street in Ambatale. AFP -
Commuters gather near a flooded road in Kaduwela. AFP -
Flood-affected people evacuate Wellampitiya. AFP
Dr Hamdan Al Mazrouei, chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, emphasised the importance of a rapid emergency response and programmes that can help to mitigate the effects of natural disasters.
Dr Tareq Al Ameri, chairman of the UAE Aid Agency, said the country would maintain its support by sending additional relief supplies and shelter materials to families, as it works to help the people of Sri Lanka recover quickly.
Call for support
The UAE public is also being asked to lend a vital helping hand to help stricken communities in Sri Lanka get back on their feet.
Alexi Gunasekera, Sri Lanka’s consul general in Dubai, said he hoped all nationalities in the Emirates would provide essential supplies, and helping to rebuild infrastructure, agriculture and water supply – among the sectors devastated in catastrophic landslides and floods triggered by the cyclone.
