RAF To Provide Relief Aid To Indonesia

The UK has agreed to deploy an A400M aircraft (Picture: MoD).

The RAF will provide relief aid to Indonesia after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit the island of Sulawesi.

More than 1,500 people are dead, missing or injured.

The RAF A400M 'Atlas' aircraft, which is currently in the Middle East, will deploy to Indonesia this evening - loaded with £2m of aid from the Department for International Development (DFID).

A small team of UK military experts are also deploying to assist with the mission.

'We need to match our capability to the need'

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “Britain stands united with Indonesia as they recover from this devastating tragedy.

"An RAF transport aircraft and her crew will provide vital supplies to those who are in desperate need."

Save the Children has warned that survivors of the disasters are facing growing health risks with an increasing chance of disease outbreaks.

The charity said clean water supplies are running low and thousands of families are living in "makeshift shelters and cramped evacuation centres".

Team Rubicon is in Indonesia to assist in the aftermath, and the vast majority of their members are forces veterans.

The organisation's Operations Manager, Paul Taylor, told Forces News: "What we need to do is match our capability to the need.

"In this instance, it is water purification and provision of power.

"Other things we can do is provide situational awareness.

"About 70% of our people are veterans - irrespective of whether you're a veteran or not, there is a training line you have to go to.

"All the people that would come here would be international operators or responders."