Kathmandu:
Days after successive earthquakes rocked the remote mountain areas of western Nepal, a third shipment of 12 tonnes of aid from India reached the country on Thursday.
On November 3, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Jajarkot and Rukum districts in western Nepal, killing 153 people and injuring more than 260 others. On November 7, three tremors exceeding magnitude 4 struck Jajarkot, injuring at least 16 people. The earthquakes damaged approximately 8,000 buildings, both public and private.
The November 3 earthquake caused the greatest losses of people and infrastructure since the devastating shock of April 2015.
Shortly after an Indian Air Force plane carrying emergency aid landed in Nepal on Thursday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar tweeted: “@IAF_MCC. Flight 3 with another 12 tonnes of relief material lands in Nepal. India will always remain a trusted and reliable country .” partner.”
Flight #3 from @IAF_MCC with another 12 tons of aid material it lands in Nepal.
India will always remain a trusted and reliable partner. pic.twitter.com/K0tqgjJLX1
—Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 9, 2023
A banner with the words ‘Nepal India Cooperation’ surrounding the flags of the two countries and a ‘Gift from people of India to People of Nepal’ tag underneath adorned the room where the neatly packed relief material was kept after it was delivered by the IAF aeroplane.
This shipment came three days after the second nine tons of aid arrived here on November 6 for earthquake-hit families in the northwestern mountain region, where people are facing shortages of food, warm clothes and medicine as another earthquake struck the region.
The second consignment was transported to Nepalgunj by a special Indian Air Force C-130 and consisted of essential medical and hygiene supplies, tents, sleeping bags and blankets.
The first shipment of more than 11 tons of relief materials was delivered by India on November 5, including tents, tarpaulin sheets, blankets and sleeping bags, along with essential medicines and medical equipment.
As a direct neighbor with centuries-old relations, India was the first country to send relief materials to the earthquake-affected districts in Nepal.
“India’s support to Nepal remains strong and steadfast in this difficult hour,” Jaishankar had posted on X on November 6.
According to the 2015 Post Disaster Needs Assessment Report, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake damaged nearly 800,000 homes and killed nearly 9,000 people.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)