Nepal quake: IAF evacuates 550 Indians

April 26, 2015 07:43 am | Updated November 17, 2021 11:06 am IST - New Delhi/Kathmandu

Indians evacuated from earthquake-hit Nepal arrive at New Delhi’s Palam airport in an IAF aircraft early Sunday. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Indians evacuated from earthquake-hit Nepal arrive at New Delhi’s Palam airport in an IAF aircraft early Sunday. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Nearly 550 Indians have been evacuated by the IAF from quake-hit Nepal even as India stepped up its relief and rescue mission with 10 flights and 12 helicopters scheduled to carry specialists and equipment to Kathmandu on Sunday.

Since 10.40 p.m. on Saturday, four IAF aircraft have landed from Nepal with 546 Indians on board. The first aircraft to land was a C-130J with 55 passengers on board, including four infants, a defence spokesperson said on Sunday.

Around midnight, a C-17 aircraft landed with 102 passengers which was followed by an IL-76 with 152.

Around 4 a.m., a C-17 landed with 237 passengers, all who were evacuated following the massive earthquake that has claimed over 1800 lives.

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said Indian authorities have responded “very proactively, very swiftly and I think every agency, every stakeholder in India who matters in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in Nepal in times of their need has been activated and the response has been exceptional“.

“Today, we have planned to send 10 large bodied aircraft carrying loads of equipment of behalf of the Army specially some of their field engineering companies, regiments...One aircraft has already gone airborne and other aircraft is getting ready. The operation will continue the whole day,” he said.

India, which was the first to respond to the Nepal crisis, is stepping up its mission today. Eight flights by the transport aircraft are scheduled for the day.

They will be carrying equipment, relief material and specialist to Nepal.Also on board with will the Army forward hospitals.

At least 12 helicopters will be sent to Nepal on Sunday to help with search and rescue mission.

Massive earthquake in Nepal; over 1,500 killed

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7.9 earthquake in Nepal; tremors felt across north India

A strong 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Nepal's capital causing massive damage. Some tremors are reported to have lasted as much as 20 seconds.

>

A selection of images capturing the extent of damage

These visualisations show how the intensity varied with distance from epicentre. > Read more The PM spoke to Nepal President and Chief Ministers of Bihar, Sikkim. > Read more Helpline no.s: +91 11 2301 2113, +91 11 2301 4104 and +91 11 2301 7905. > Read more
"Blind thrust" quakes are ones that do not break the surface, and tend to be more frequent. These records indicate that the region has a rich history of quakes in the past centuries. > Read more
 
A magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook Nepal’s capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley on Saturday, the worst quake in the Himalayan nation in over 80 years. A look at the world’s strongest earthquakes since 1900. > Read more
  

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