Nepal quake: Over 2,200 dead; Friendly nations ask India to fly out their citizens from Nepal

NEW DELHI: Even as India embarked on one of its largest ever relief missions in the region by rushing aid to earthquake-hit Nepal, China stepped in to help its Himalayan neighbour by sending its first rescue team to Kathmandu on Sunday and promising more assistance.

New Delhi was the first responder to the massive earthquake that resulted in over 2,200 deaths in Nepal by deploying a C-130J aircraft to send in a rescue team and conduct a reconnaissance mission to assess the damage and has now sent 19 aircraft to the neighbouring nation.

Beijing deployed a 68-member rescue team with sniffer dogs and equipment to Kathmandu on board a special aircraft, even as damage was reported in Tibet, where the death toll climbed to 17. According to reports from Beijing, four Chinese citizens, including a mountaineer, were killed in the Nepal quake.

The Chinese rescue team includes at least 40 military personnel.

“The Chinese government is mobilising emergency relief supplies, which will be delivered to the disaster-hit area in Nepal very soon,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei said in Beijing, adding President Xi Jinping has sent condolence messages to the Nepalese government.

China has been expanding ties with Kathmandu and has emerged as a big trading partner with Nepal. Chinese companies are building several infrastructure projects and a plan to extend the Tibet rail network to Nepal has also been approved. The 540 km rail project involves digging a tunnel under Mount Everest.

Among other nations, Pakistan sent assistance teams to Kathmandu with two C-130 aircraft landing on Sunday carrying a medical team and emergency supplies, including a 30-bed mobile hospital. Two more C-130 aircraft were to be sent soon.

Sources said India has received requests from several nations to fly out their citizens from Nepal and assist in search missions for those who are missing.

The US had pledged an initial amount of $1 million for emergency assistance. The US Agency for International Development is preparing to deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team, while Israel has said its aircraft with relief material are on the way.