Rescue team supplies fresh water

The team has pumped and chlorinated 20 wells

Rescue volunteers have begun supplying fresh water to people living in tsunami-affected areas of Sri Lanka.

Six members of Gloucestershire-based Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters (SARAID) flew to the island with a water filtration system.

Spokesman Geoff Parkinson said the team was now based in Seenigama on the south coast and had used the machine to provide water for 800 children.

"We are making good progress," Mr Parkinson said.

The team has also pumped and chlorinated 20 wells where water had been contaminated, he added.

Emergency services

Two members of the team have travelled to the capital Colombo to meet officials and discuss the next step in the deployment.

The team was also on stand-by for search and rescue work at the weekend amid reports that Sri Lanka may be hit by storms .

SARAID members have experience of disaster relief in countries such as Turkey and India.

Its volunteers primarily come from the emergency services.

The group includes firefighters, paramedics and a doctor, plus a structural engineer and a builder.

Sri Lanka was one of the countries worst hit by the dramatic sea surges in the Indian Ocean on 26 December.

It is estimated that more than 30,000 people have died and up to one million are homeless.