Indian Air Force continues to provide relief to stranded persons of earthquake hit Nepal

By FnF Defence Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 15, May 2015, 14:16 pm IST | UPDATED: 15, May 2015, 14:37 pm IST

New Delhi: Continuing the efforts by the IAF to help Nepal which was struck by severe earthquakes on 25 April 2015 and again on 12 May 2015, relief is being provided to the people in distress across Nepal including remote and inaccessible areas.

Six IAF Medium Lift Helicopters (MLH) are positioned at Kathmandu. One MLH is positioned at Pokhara. The most affected areas where casualty evacuation were carried in the past few days are Chautara, Charkot, Dhading, Melum, Lukla, Aroghat, Dhunche, Trishuli, Ramchap, Barpak, Narayan Chor, Namchi Bazar and Tatopani.

The details of operations carried out so far are as under:-

Type of Aircraft	No. of Sorties Carried Out	No. of Persons Evacuated	No. of Casualties Evacuated	Total Tons of Weight Carried	No. of Persons De-Inducted
IL 76	30	--	--	192.90	1350+07 Mortal Remains+02 Lying patients
C-130J	21	--	--	67.70	532
C-17	34	--	--	344.70	1907+11 Lying Patients+07 Sitting Patients
AN-32	12	--	--	06.00	135
MI-17+ MI-17 V5	889	3162	724	355.43	--
Total	986	3162	724	966.73	3924+ 07 Mortal Remains + 13 Lying Patients + 07 Sitting Patients

Till 0800 hrs today, 53 sorties were carried out by helicopters evacuating 190 people to safer places and 01 casualty was evacuated. The load carried by these helicopters till 0800hrs today was 21.70 tons.

It would be pertinent to note that transport and helicopter aircraft are being utilised extensively for Human Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

The Indian Air Force, after proving its mettle in bringing succour to scores of people after Yemen evacuation this month, Jammu & Kashmir in September last year, has once again risen to the occasion and added a pioneering chapter in Disaster Relief by bringing relief to the needy and evacuate them from earthquake hit areas in Nepal.

The Indian Air Force reaffirms its commitment towards Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations in support of the nation.