The government, which has intensified rescue and relief operations in earthquake struck Nepal, will press into service 13 aircrafts by tonight to help the neighbouring nation.
"Today we expect to have 13 military aircrafts going to Kathmandu. Four of them are C-17s. Three of them are C-130s, four of them are IL76s and two of them are AN32s. In addition, we had some civil aircrafts going in the morning, two Air India aircrafts and one jet going to bring back Indians who are stranded there. Out of these 13 aircrafts, five have already landed in Kathmandu and others are on their way," said Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar.
"We had a bit of a break as there were aftershocks today in Kathmandu which closed the airport for some time, but by late evening we expect to have all 13 in," he added.
Jaishankar further said, "What has gone into Kathmandu today, are parts of three army field hospitals, engineering task force, a medical contingent of civilian medical doctors along with two tonnes of medical supplies which has been organised by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare."
"We have had three more NDRF teams, yesterday seven teams went in, those seven teams are already deployed, two of them are in Patan, two of them are in Swayambhu, three of them are in Bhaktapur. We are expecting six more teams of NDRF to in the next few days," he added.
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The Foreign Secretary further informed that 50 tonnes of water supplied by railways and 22 tonnes of food materials have been sent to Nepal.
"In addition to these 13 fixed wing aircrafts going to Kathmandu, there are already six MI-17 helicopters that moved to Kathmandu this morning. They have already been active rescuing and bringing people, who have been injured. There are two more ALHs (Advanced Light Helicopters) and four MI-17s which are on standby," he added.
Jaishankar said the government is also looking to bring back Indians and citizens of other countries back to India.
"Relief and rescues in Kathmandu is our primary purpose. Yesterday, we brought back 540 people. Today two aircrafts were able to take off, one was of 237 people, which has landed already, one is of 266, which is on its way, one is loading as we speak which contains 130 people. There are Indians as well as citizens of other nations," he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired a follow-up meeting to review the progress of relief and rescue operations following the major earthquake in Nepal yesterday.
The Prime Minister was briefed on the work being done by various agencies involved in relief and rescue work, both in India and Nepal. He was also briefed on the situation arising out of the major aftershock that occurred earlier today.
Prime Minister Modi emphasized the need for further increasing the pace of search and rescue operations, and evacuation of stranded people from Nepal. He 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 Prime Minister also said that highest priority be accorded to food and water supplies, including milk powder, to the affected areas.
The death toll from the devastating earthquake, which hit Nepal and northern parts of India on Saturday, climbed over 2,100 even as the rescue efforts intensified in search of survivors in the Himalayan nation's worst temblor in over 80 years.
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.
