India extends $1 mn aid to Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian

Days after the Bahamas faced huge destruction and loss of lives due to Hurricane Dorian, India on Sunday extended "immediate relief" of $1 million to the Caribbean island nation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

"We are saddened by the large scale destruction caused in the Bahamas by Hurricane Dorian. In solidarity with the friendly people of Bahamas in this difficult moment, the Government of India is extending an immediate disaster relief of $ 1 million," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Dorian made a "catastrophic" landfall in the Bahamas on September 1 as a Category 5 hurricane, with winds reaching 295 km/h.

The death toll there is 43 but officials believe that hundreds of bodies were yet to be found in areas flattened by the winds or smashed by storm surges.

UN officials said about 70,000 people on the Grand Bahama and the Abcao Islands were in need of assistance.
IANS