“Israel stands with India at this difficult hour, as major and devastating floods affect the Kerala region,” the foreign ministry tweeted.
By: United with Israel Staff and AP
Israel has begun to dispatch aid to the Kerala state in India, which has experienced torrential rains and heavy flooding that killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Israel, through its Consulate General in Bangalore, is providing support to those affected by the floods.
The first truck carrying products and supplies for the people of Kerala headed to the region on Tuesday, the Israeli mission in India stated.
A team led by Kochi’s mayor will deliver the products to camps in the area.
“We are proud to be able to help friends in their time of need,” Yuval Rotem, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted.
“Israel stands with India at this difficult hour, as major and devastating floods affect the Kerala region,” the foreign ministry tweeted earlier this week.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and over 350 have died in the worst flooding in a century in southern India’s Kerala state, with rainfall in some areas well over double that of a typical monsoon season.
Rescuers searched for people stranded in the worst-affected areas.
The downpours that started August 8 have triggered floods and landslides and caused homes and bridges to collapse across Kerala, a picturesque state known for its quiet tropical backwaters and beautiful beaches.
An estimated 800,000 people have taken shelter in some 4,000 relief camps across Kerala, said P.H. Kurian, a top disaster management official in Kerala.
In some villages, floodwaters up to 3 meters (10 feet) high had entered homes.
Israel has a proud history of lending humanitarian, medical and logistical assistance to countries in distress around the world.
Most recently, it sent aid to Guatemala, which experienced a devastating volcanic eruption.