New
Delhi, Apr. 26 (ANI): Group Captain Lamba, who is part of the Indian
Air Force (IAF) team monitoring the rescue and relief efforts in
quake-ravaged Nepal, today said the ongoing tremors are
going to affect the pace of the operations.
"The aim has been to evacuate people from those areas at the earliest. The lack of parking space, net facilities, food and water do cause a bit of a hamper but the efforts are on to get the place back to normal," Group Captain Lamba told ANI here.
"The good thing is that the airport is okay and airfield is clear, so relief material can keep coming in. Parts of the city are badly affected. The weather in the area also presents a challenge," he added.
The government, which has intensified the rescue efforts in Nepal that witnessed the worst earthquake in more than 80 years, has rescued 1,417 people so far.
"#NepalEarthquake. One more IAF flight arrives in Delhi with 226 stranded Indians in Kathmandu. Total evacuees - 1417," tweeted Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
Some more flights are expected to arrive later tonight with the evacuees.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the agencies involved in the relief and rescue operation to speed up their efforts to save and evacuate people from Nepal.
Prime Minister Modi , who chaired a follow-up meeting today to review the progress of relief and rescue operations following the major earthquake in Nepal yesterday, said that highest priority be accorded to food and water supplies, including milk powder.
Prime Minister emphasized the need for further increasing the pace of search and rescue operations, and evacuation of stranded people from Nepal.
The Prime Minister directed that in addition to the air route, the road route should also be used for evacuating stranded people at the earliest. He stressed on the need for ensuring coordination among various agencies involved in relief and rescue operations.
The death toll from the devastating earthquake, which hit Nepal and northern parts of India on Saturday, climbed over 2,100 today even as the rescue efforts intensified in search of the survivors.
Earlier in the day, a powerful 6.7-magnitude aftershock jolted Nepal and adjoining areas, triggering panic among the people.
The massive earthquake and the aftershocks left behind a trail of death and destruction in Nepal's capital Kathmandu. (ANI)