A team of Sri Lankan tri-forces personnel, including medical staff, departed for Myanmar on a special flight on Saturday to provide relief assistance to earthquake victims, the Defence Ministry said.

“Tri-Forces’ medical and disaster relief teams, along with humanitarian aid collected under the guidance of the Chief Prelates of the three Buddhist Chapters left the island for Myanmar a short while ago,” the Ministry of Defence announced. 

Sri Lanka will deploy three military teams comprising rescue, relief and medical assistance in earthquake-hit Myanmar in addition to USD one million in donations. 

Accordingly, the first team left on Saturday in a special aircraft loaded with relief supplies to quake victims in Myanmar, the ministry said.

The three military teams comprising rescue, relief and medical assistance would be deployed in addition to the state’s donation of one million dollars, the ministry said. 

Additionally, the three Buddhist sect leaders have organised relief assistance in view of the close religious ties between the two countries. Close cultural and religious ties between Myanmar and Sri Lanka underlie this concerted humanitarian effort.

The Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth Relic) said it was collecting 15 million rupees separately to be donated to Myanmar as earthquake relief. Myanmar and Sri Lanka are historically linked in the practice of Theravada Buddhism.

The earthquake, occurring on March 28, has left over 3,100 dead, nearly 5,000 injured, and more than 370 people still missing.