In one of its quickest and most extensive responses to an international emergency, India flew in rescue teams, medical supplies and relief material to Nepal where the death toll in the weekend’s earthquake has already crossed 3,000.
India was the first to send in aid, with supplies starting within hours of Saturday’s killer quake. Operating at the very epicentre of the earthquake, Indian Air Force choppers have rescued many hundreds in sorties from the worst-affected districts. India has also set up a field hospital in Kathmandu and sent in its engineers to work on restoring road connectivity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been monitoring the relief efforts personally and told the defence ministry , which is carrying out a bulk of the relief work, to spare no expense in the relief efforts, reports said.
India has mounted a mammoth relief effort and has so far deployed 13 military aircraft, three civilian aircraft of Air India and Jet Airways, six Mi-17 helicopters, two Advanced Light Helicopters while two more Mi-17 choppers are kept in standby.
Mobile hospitals have been transported to Nepal, and NDRF teams are at work. IAF aircraft also carried blankets, tents, tonnes of food, paramedics, stretches, and medicines.
An inter-ministerial team comprising senior officials from ministries of Home, Defence, External Affairs and NDMA have gone to Nepal to coordinate rescue and relief operations.
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