Indian Navy teams join Lanka flood rescue operations as toll touches 193

Indian Navy diving and medical teams joined rescue efforts of Sri Lankan authorities in flood-hit regions as the death toll in the

country's worst torrential rains since 2003 climbed on Tuesday to 193.

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said the adverse weather condition had left 112 people injured and nearly 6,00,000 people have been forced from their homes, with thousands suffering structural damage from flood inundation and landslides.

The weather has begun to clear, and many of the more than 1.00,000 people who evacuated over the weekend had returned home to begin clearing debris and mud from their waterlogged homes. More than 80,000 others remained in relief camps as their homes were either destroyed or remain unreachable.

The Indian contingent of more than 300 navy personnel was assisting in the relief, with divers searching the brackish waters and medical teams seeing patients in makeshift tents set up at shelters.

INS Shardul has nearly 200 personnel on board, including specialised rescue, diving and medical teams, as well as a large amount of relief material and Gemini inflatable boats.

INS 'Kirch' was carrying 125 personnel. It had diving teams, relief supplies, inflatable gemini boats and a mobile medical team.

A third Indian naval ship arrived today, bringing relief supplies including rice, lentils, sugar, milk and blankets for the displaced.

"Secy to President of SL and SL Navy chief receiving symbolically the relief material on board the 3rd relief and rescue ship INS Jalashwa," the High Commission of India in Colombo tweeted.

Lankan army trucks carried drinking water and food for those affected. Helicopters ferried medicine, relief supplies and inflatable boats to remote areas, while small vessels plied the floodwaters in search of people needing rescue.

Lankan Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said that foreign assistance is continuing to flow in with India, China and Pakistan among the countries sending ship loads of humanitarian aid.

The disaster is described as one of the worst-ever calamities since the 2003 floods.

The official death toll was at 193, with another 94 people listed as missing, the Colombo Gazette reported.

The MeT Department in its weather forecast said the cyclonic storm MORA is expected to get weakened whent enters the Bangladesh land and the possibility for heavy rain and strong winds will be reduced by Wednesday. However, under its influence cloudy skies, windy and showery conditions are expected over the country.