The frigate Tariq and logistic support ship Nasr had arrived in the Maldives on Christmas Day on a three-day goodwill and training mission, Pakistani foreign office spokesman Masood Khan said.

The next day the tiny island nation was battered by massive tidal waves caused by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia.

The mission's chief, Commodore Asif Sardilla, offered humanitarian, medical and rescue assistance to the Maldivian authorities as soon as he became aware of the tragedy, Khan said.

The Tariq was despatched to evacuate tourists and locals stranded on Mino atoll, "considered to be the worst hit area," Khan said.

Helicopters on board the Nasr dropped supplies to affected areas and evacuated stranded locals and foreign tourists, including a Pakistani couple, from the island, he said.

Pakistan's navy was to continue helping as long as the local authorities needed, he added.

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