Fresh tremors on Sunday have delayed the evacuation of the Indian Under-14 girls football team from the earthquake-affected Nepal capital.
An aircraft that was to bring the stranded team back to the country was scheduled to leave the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at 12.30 p.m, an All India Football Federation (AIFF) official told IANS.
But fresh tremors shortly after Sunday noon delayed the flight, leaving the team, comprising 18 players and five officials, waiting at the airport. They were scheduled to be evacuated by a military aircraft but due to the fresh quake, their evacuation was put off. The evacuation plans are not yet clear.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj earlier on Sunday tweeted that the government has prioritised the evacuation of the team. "We will evacuate India's U-14 girls football team on priority."
The team was in Kathmandu to participate in the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) Regional Championship for the South and Central Zone. It was scheduled to face Iran in a third-fourth place play-off match at 1 p.m. at the Dashrath Stadium on Saturday.
But an hour before the scheduled kick-off, the earthquake shook the venue and adjoining areas, forcing the abandonment of the match and the final. India lost to hosts Nepal in the semi-finals on Friday.
The team spent Saturday night outside their hotel rooms and slept in the hotel compound as a precautionary measure.
India's defence ministry has said the Kathmandu airport has been closed following the fresh aftershock that measured 6.7 on the Richter scale. No planes are being allowed to land in the capital of the Himalayan nation, putting on hold all air relief operations on hold till 4 p.m. hours, the ministry added.
Saturday's quake have resulted in more than 2,000 deaths in Nepal and around 50 in India, according to officials.
