Nepal earthquake: 89 Singaporeans and PRs fly out of Kathmandu on C-130 planes

PUBLISHED ON APR 28, 2015 8:53 PM

 

Eighty-nine Singaporeans and permanent residents left Kathmandu for Singapore on two C-130 planes on Tuesday afternoon. -- PHOTO: FACEBOOK / NG ENG HEN

BY LIM YAN LIANG IN KATHMANDU

Eighty-nine Singaporeans and permanent residents left Kathmandu for Singapore on two C-130 planes on Tuesday afternoon.

There were 74 passengers on the first plane, which left at 3pm Nepal time (5.15pm Singapore time) and is flying straight to Singapore. The second plane carried 15 passengers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The Ministy's Crisis Response Team is also working with Silkair to secure seats for Singaporeans wishing to return home.

Mr Danial Phua, the leader of the MFA team in Kathmandu said: “The airport was very congested, and flights were delayed yesterday due to inclement weather and heavy air traffic. We organised the Singaporeans, helped them with their travel documents and updated them on departure details regularly. Our Singaporeans were very calm and patient, and kept their spirits up under trying conditions”. 

The Ministry is still attempting to contact all Singaporeans in Nepal.

All three Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) C-130 planes landed in Kathmandu on Tuesday. Plans to evacuate Singaporeans from quake-hit Nepal were delayed when the three C-130 planes could not land at Kathmandu airport on Monday because of congestion.

RSAF updated on Facebook at 4pm on Tuesday that they were unloading their equipment and supplies at Kathmandu Airport.

 

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen posted on his Facebook on Tuesday that about 80 men and women from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), have arrived in Kathmandu with equipment and aid to join other relief workers to assist Nepal.

The Singapore contingent has been assigned to the village of Sankhu, about 50km from Kathmandu, by local authorities. The village has been flattened by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake which hit on Saturday.

On Tuesday, the contingent was assessing the ground situation, and setting up a temporary operations centre.