Singaporeans in Nepal registered with MFA ‘accounted for and are safe’
Nepalese earthquake-affected victims salvage belongings from their damaged homes in Lalitpur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: AP
SINGAPORE — All 220 Singaporeans who had registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) are accounted for and are safe, the ministry said in a press statement today (April 30).
Before the earthquake on Monday, only 58 Singaporeans in Nepal had initially registered with the ministry through its eRegister, said an MFA spokesperson.
“The number escalated to over 220 Singaporeans after the earthquake. Through the assistance of our Crisis Response Team at the Kathmandu International Airport, more than 100 have returned to Singapore over the past few days on the RSAF and commercial flights,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, another two Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) C-130 planes were headed to the quake-stricken country yesterday with additional supplies and personnel, the Ministry of Defence said in a press statement.
On the board the two C-130 aircraft that left this morning were food and water supplies, medical supplies, as well as six additional Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel from the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster (RHAD) Relief Coordination Centre (RHCC). They were also joined by eight personnel from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF).
Providing updates in a short Facebook post today, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said one of the aircrafts has already landed in Kathmandu.
“The C-130s are bringing additional medical supplies and more SAF personnel to augment the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre team there, to help the Nepalese Multinational Military Coordination Centre to better orchestrate recovery efforts,” said Mr Ng.
The RBAF personnel will join the SAF medical team deployed to Gokarna town, where they will work together to provide medical assistance to the earthquake victims there, Mindef added.
Local humanitarian organisation Mercy Relief and the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) have also sent their first medical teams in to Nepal.
Mercy Relief said today it has sent a medical team of two doctors and two nurses together with 350kg worth of supplies, surgical tools and equipment.
Joining the organisation’s disaster response team already in Kathmandu, Mercy Relief’s medical team will be responding to the immediate needs of victims in Nepal and can attend to over 300 patients a day. This first medical mission is expected to last about 10 days.
Our first response team’s assessment specify a vital need for doctors. As search and rescue workers from all over the world dedicate themselves to saving those who may be trapped but still alive, Mercy Relief is supporting them by directly supplying medical personnel and supplies,” said the NGO’s chairman Michael Tay, who arrived in Nepal today.
The SRC Advance Team, which has been working with partners on the ground to sort out deployment of its medical teams, has assessed that urgent needs in Kathmandu have been covered and will likely deploy the teams in other areas, said SRC today.
“The teams are looking to operate and establish mobile medical clinics with two to three doctors each, working in cooperation with the Nepal Red Cross and our other Red Cross Movement partners,” it added.
Its first medical team due to arrive at noon today is made up of three doctors, one nurse, one paramedic and one operations specialist. They will be bringing with them supplies such as medication, medical equipment for simple dressing and minor surgical procedures, as well as emergency and resuscitative equipment. Three other medical teams will also arrive next week.
While the Mercy Relief’s disaster response team continues to monitor the situation on the ground, the NGO said it is also planning to send a second medical team with two orthopaedic surgeons this Sunday.
“Most of Kathmandu’s population are now living in inadequate sanitary conditions in tent cities. Overcrowded facilities pose a latent risk for epidemics. The lack of health services intensify fears of an outbreak of cholera and other water-borne diseases,” said Mr Tay.
Given such fears, SRC said a staff member will be joining the IFRC Regional Disaster Response Team (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) to provide a better assessment of the critical water and sanitation needs on the ground.
As of this evening, SRC said it has received more than S$1.1 million from cash and cheque donations, as well as through online platforms like SG Gives. Mercy Relief has also raised S$340,000 for its Nepal Earthquake Relief fundraising campaign.
