Britain deploys military helicopters to aid for Ebola-hit Sierra Leone

Britain has deployed Royal Navy helicopters to deliver materials to northern Sierra Leone as the part of its ongoing efforts to tackle Ebola, the British Department for International Development (DFID) said Wednesday.

Responding to a United Nations World Food Program (WFP) request, a Merlin helicopter from Britain's 820 Naval Air Squadron lifted "urgent supplies" for a support camp to be built near a community care center in Kumala in northern Sierra Leone, Xinhnhua reported citing the statement.

The centre is a 28-bed facility for the care of Ebola patients, including young children under the age of five. The DFID said the place located in a mountainous area, is currently not accessible by road.

The Merlin helicopters flew six heavy loads of building materials, suspended below the aircraft, from the WFP hub in Port Loko,

Over five days, 5.5 tonnes of equipment was transported, which will be used to help keep the community centre operational, according to the DFID.