Seychellois help build school in tsunami-hit Maldives |25 January 2005

They returned to Seychelles on Sunday after helping to build the school on Burinne, one of the islands which was not badly affected by the December 26 disaster.

"About 80 percent of the schools there were damaged by the tsunamis. The one we helped to build will cater for students from about five islands in one of the atolls," Paul Ernesta, one of the members of the Seychelles team said on their arrival back here.

He said that Seychelles was the first, and probably only country in the Indian Ocean that sent a team to help.

"There were soldiers and groups of police officers helping with the reconstruction, but there was so much to do that an extra hand came in handy," he said adding that the Maldivian authorities said they appreciated Seychelles' contribution.