This Article is From Apr 28, 2015

India Steps Up Relief Work in Nepal. Land Routes Operational as Airport Gets Congested

India Steps Up Relief Work in Nepal. Land Routes Operational as Airport Gets Congested

Indian forces conduct rescue operations in Nepal.

New Delhi: As the number of deaths in Saturday's earthquake climb to 72 in India, India's relief efforts in Nepal, where over 4,000 people have died, have been stepped up. But though medical teams and relief material is flowing into Kathmandu, aircraft are encountering difficulty landing into the congested Tribhuban airport.

Here are the latest developments:

  1. With the small airport having trouble accommodating aircraft - most of its personnel have gone to take care of their families - four aircraft carrying relief material have been forced to return Delhi. The Air Force has rescheduled its relief planes and shifted its choppers to decongest the airport.

  2. An alternative means of getting in relief material, the land route, has been made operational now, said foreign secretary S Jaishankar. Around 90 buses and 40 trucks full of relief material have reached Nepal.

  3. India has sent a team of power officials and officials from the Indian Oil Corporation to help restore electricity and fuel in Kathmandu. Thousands have been fleeing the city, which is struggling with a shortage of food, water, electricity or petrol.

  4. Twelve aircraft pressed into service by the Indian Air Force evacuated 2,091 people today. Altogether, nearly 5,400 Indians have been brought back, Mr Jaishankar said.

  5. The relief and rescue operations have been bolstered by an inter-ministerial team, which reached Nepal today. "We have been making all possible efforts from our side," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said.

  6. Spain has sought India's help in evacuating its nationals from Nepal. "Assured the Spanish Foreign Minister that India will provide all possible help to Spanish nationals in Nepal," Prime Minister Narendra Modi later tweeted.

  7. The rescue work made progress following clear weather - Sunday had been rainy and cold and witnessed 55 nerve-shredding aftershocks. Fresh tremors shook West Bengal and Bihar today - 57 people have died in Bihar, making it the state worst hit by the quake.

  8. The authorities in Nepal are struggling to get relief to the districts, overwhelmed by bad phone lines, poor roads, a lack of equipment and strong, repeated aftershocks.

  9. IAF choppers were used today to evacuate people from the districts - the five worst-hit being Gorkha, Dhading, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchok, Kavrepalanchok and Dolakha. Sorties have been held at Sindhupal Chowk, Gorkha and Nuwakot, Bhaktapur and Kathmandu.

  10. The threat of disease looms large, with thousands camping out in the open. The IAF has flown in six medical teams, equipment, blankets and tents. The trucks from Uttar Pradesh have carried medical supplies and a team of 41 medical and paramedical staff.



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