India sends humanitarian aid to landslide-hit Papua New Guinea

India on Thursday sent 19 tonnes of humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) materials to Papua New Guinea's Enga province that was hit by a major landslide.

Late last month, India announced a USD 1 million assistance to the island nation in the wake of the landslide.

Over 2,000 people were killed in the landslide, according to media reports from that country.

"In the wake of devastating landslide in Enga province of Papua New Guinea, India had announced immediate assistance of USD 1 million to our close FIPIC partner," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

"Pursuant to the announcement, a flight carrying approx 19 tons of HADR supplies departed for Papua New Guinea today," he said.

Papua New Guinea is a member of Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC). India has been promoting cooperation with the Pacific island nations through FIPIC.