Sri Lanka to send relief supplies to quake-hit Nepal

Colombo: Sri Lanka will send relief supplies to Nepal after a magnitude-7.9 earthquake struck the country on Saturday, killing nearly 900 people.

The government is to dispatch relief supplies to the earthquake victims in Nepal, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said here today.

"There will be a plane leaving early tomorrow morning with eight doctors and engineers," he said while highlighting country's urgent relief response to the South Asian nation.

"We will asses the needs and make further dispatches, these will be medical equipment, supplies and even earth moving machinery," Senaratne said.

Foreign ministry confirmed that no Sri Lankan national has been affected by the earthquake.

Following talks between President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, a special committee has been appointed to look at relief assistance which is to be extended to Nepal, the government said.

Wickremesinghe spoke to his Nepali counterpart Sushil Koirala over phone in this regard, his office said.