Two US Navy ships arriving to facilitate rescue work
Monday, 19 November 2007
US chargé d' affaires in Dhaka Geeta Pasi said Sunday two US Navy ships would be in Bangladesh to facilitate rescue work in the cyclone-ravaged south, reports bdnews24.com.
"The ships are coming as part of a series of military exercises with Bangladesh," she told reporters after a meeting with Foreign Affairs
Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury in his office.
"But we're going to deploy the ships for immediate post-cyclone recovery work," the US embassy chief said.
"The ships will provide logistics support to facilitate the work."
The USS Essex and USS Kearsarge, each carrying helicopters, hovercraft and equipped with hospital facilities, have been dispatched, pending a formal request for help from the Bangladesh authorities, Bloomberg news agency quoted Major David Griesmer, spokesman for the US Pacific Command in Hawaii, as saying.
"More ships may be made available once Bangladeshi officials know what they need," he said.
But foreign ministry officials here said they are not aware of the development.
"We've identified that food items, including rice and edible oil and non-food items such as blanket, plastic sheeting, hygiene kits and other supplies are needed for Bangladesh urgently," the US embassy official said.
"The ships are coming as part of a series of military exercises with Bangladesh," she told reporters after a meeting with Foreign Affairs
Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury in his office.
"But we're going to deploy the ships for immediate post-cyclone recovery work," the US embassy chief said.
"The ships will provide logistics support to facilitate the work."
The USS Essex and USS Kearsarge, each carrying helicopters, hovercraft and equipped with hospital facilities, have been dispatched, pending a formal request for help from the Bangladesh authorities, Bloomberg news agency quoted Major David Griesmer, spokesman for the US Pacific Command in Hawaii, as saying.
"More ships may be made available once Bangladeshi officials know what they need," he said.
But foreign ministry officials here said they are not aware of the development.
"We've identified that food items, including rice and edible oil and non-food items such as blanket, plastic sheeting, hygiene kits and other supplies are needed for Bangladesh urgently," the US embassy official said.