72 Army personnel (3 officers and 69 other rankers) comprised of Sri Lanka Engineers (2 officers and 40 other rankers), Engineer Service Regiment personnel (18), Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps personnel (2), Sri Lanka Army Service Corps personnel (6), Sri Lanka Army Ordnance Corps personnel (1), together with 14 Navy personnel (1 officer and 13 other rankers) and 11 Airmen (1 officer and 10 other rankers) as the second Sri Lankan contingent will join the Army contingent, already engaged in Dolalghad area in Nepal, the Sri Lanka Army media said.

A.H.M Fowzie, Minister of Disaster Management and Mr Daya Gamage, UNP National Organizer, representing the government’s interests, joined the contingent, aboard the SriLankan Airlines flight for Nepal.      

The first segment of the emergency rescue and relief contingent of 44 Army personnel and 4 Civil Medical Consultants, aboard an SLAF flight, left for the earthquake-struck Nepal on Sunday (26) early morning at about 5.30 a.m. to assist ongoing rescue and relief operations in the densely-populated Kathmandu valley, devastated by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake which has reportedly claimed over 4000 lives by Wednesday (29).

Following initiatives of HE the President Maithripala Sirisena, Commander-in -Chief and Hon. Prime Minister under the close supervision of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, dispatch of the Army relief contingent, was organized in close coordination with the Disaster Management Centre, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.