Red Cross ship sinks while delivering aid

Mizzima News

Monday, 12 May 2008 00:15

New Delhi – A Red Cross ship delivering relief supplies to cyclone victims sank in Burma's Irrawaddy delta on Sunday. The ship, carrying food, clothes and other relief materials, sank after striking submerged tree roots. The International Federation of Red Cross said four staffs onboard were safe. "The boat was our first shipment to the Irrawaddy Delta. We lost most of the aid supplies but our staff are safe," Eric Porterfield, media officer of the IFRC, said. Porterfield said the boat was traveling from Rangoon to Bogalay, one of the hardest hit areas by Cyclone Nargis, which swept through Burma's delta region on May 2. The ship was carrying 100 bags of rice, 5,000 litres of drinking water, 10,000 water purification tablets, 200 jerry cans to carry water, 10 stretchers, 30 boxes of clothes, 30 family kits containing 22 different household items each, 1,000 bars of soap, 800 rubber gloves and 1,000 surgical masks, the IFRC said in its statement. < Prev   Next >