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India not to rush rescue teams

Last Updated 12 May 2015, 19:03 IST

India has not rushed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescue and relief teams to Nepal in the wake of Tuesday’s earthquake.

However, military helicopters and medical teams were deployed for aerial assessment of the damage and to provide emergency care.

The NDRF teams are on standby but will not move till it gets a “request” from Kathmandu. The forces would be ready for “immediate movement in case there is a request”. The Indian Army and Air Force too are not dispatching any fresh teams to the Himalayan nation, sources said.

The government decision not to rush Indian forces to Nepal without a formal request came in the wake of Kathmandu asking the foreign rescue teams to withdraw. With barely any chance of survival of the victims of April 25 quake, the Nepal government had last week told foreign rescuers to withdraw.

The National Crisis Management Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, however, has decided to grant visa-on-arrival for those leaving Nepal both at the airports and at the land points.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation with top officials and Home Minister Rajnath Singh called up India’s Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae to take stock, the government response is muted this time compared to the April event when the NDRF teams and IAF planes landed in Kathmandu within six hours of the big jolt.

Immediately after the quake in the afternoon, the IAF Mi-17 V-5 helicopters operating in Nepal took off from Kathmandu and Lamabagar for aerial assessment of the damages and rescue the stranded victims. The IAF helicopters rescued villagers from Charioke and Mrigu village.

Two medical teams were moved to Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan international airport to provide prompt medical assistance to the incoming casualties.

As many as 13 choppers of IAF and Army aviation — 8 Mi-17 V5 and 5 Dhruv advanced light weight helicopters — have been deployed in Nepal since the killer quake in April.

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(Published 12 May 2015, 19:03 IST)

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