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Israel to ship emergency aid to Sri Lanka

JERUSALEM, Tuesday (AFP) - An Israeli air force plane laden with emergency aid was set to leave Tuesday for disaster-struck Sri Lanka, the Israeli military said, after plans for a larger delegation were scrapped.

The plane will carry humanitarian supplies including tents, generators, blankets and medicine to Sri Lanka, the country hardest hit by the massive quake and tidal waves devastating south Asia.

"The original plan was for a medical delegation and two IDF (Israel Defense Forces) officers to go along but it was changed following instructions from the political echelon," a military source said, without further elaborating.

The death toll in Asia approached 28,000 on Tuesday, including nearly 12,300 in Sri Lanka, with officials warning the figure was likely to rise steeply.

Israel and Sri Lanka do not have diplomatic relations although the Jewish state sells arms to Colombo.

Israeli foreign ministry director general Ron Prosor said 38 Israelis had been wounded on Indonesia's coastline, adding that the government had so far failed to communicate with at least 820 Israelis in the disaster zones.

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