SAF'S RELIEF TEAM ARRIVES IN NEPAL; EVACUATES S'POREANS

A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) C-130 aircraft that flew Singapore's disaster relief team to earthquake-hit Nepal has returned home with 74 Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (PRs) in the early hours of 29 Apr.

Among them was Mr Lim Kun Jie, 26, who was left stranded at the Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport after the earthquake hit the country, just 30 minutes after his arrival on 25 Apr.

The operations executive, who had planned to do the Everest Base Camp trek, described the situation as "really chaotic because everyone was concerned about how they would get out".

"I was feeling scared as well because I was worried about how quickly we could get on the next flight," Mr Lim recalled, adding that he was thankful for the evacuation conducted by the RSAF and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The RSAF's response was really good because, first of all, we knew that we couldn't get out on a domestic or an international flight. We knew that the airlines were going to have a lot of problems coming in.

"(But we also knew that) the RSAF works with authorities there (in Nepal), so we were comforted by the fact that we knew we could count on their support."

A second C-130 with 15 civilians took off from Kathmandu last night. The plane will arrive in Singapore later today.

Swift response

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) had responded quickly with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) aid after the massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook Nepal last Saturday night. By Sunday evening, the first two C-130s had taken off from Singapore, with a third taking flight on Monday morning.

On board these aircraft were an advance team of six personnel from the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC); a 60-man search and rescue team from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF); a 9-man team from the Singapore Police Force; and a representative from the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The SAF's 22-man medical team travelled separately via commercial flight to Kathmandu.

The planes also airlifted a Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) vehicle, a five-tonner and four search dogs from the SCDF.

The C-130s only landed in Nepal yesterday to assist with the relief effort because they were forced to divert to India on Monday due to air traffic congestion at the Kathmandu airport.

Commenting on the challenges faced, pilot Major (MAJ) Sean Yang said: "We held for as long as we could near Kathmandu, but finally we ran short on fuel We had to turn around to divert somewhere else. It was pretty stressful because we were keen on getting the guys in (fast)."

The search and rescue team from Singapore will be deployed to a small village 15km from Kathmandu to commence operations today. It is understood the village is completely destroyed, and has yet to receive any aid.

Although international humanitarian aid has been flowing into Kathmandu, getting the supplies to the victims has been hampered by landslides which made many of the worst-hit villages inaccessible.

Coordinating role

The Changi RHCC's advance team will work with the Nepalese Armed Forces to offer assistance in coordinating relief efforts.

A coordination centre in Singapore, the Changi RHCC is able to piece together a comprehensive situational picture of the disaster zone using data collated from its advance team and other sources.

The situational picture will include important information such as accessible routes leading to the disaster zone, possible staging areas, and data of available aid.

Updated constantly, it will be broadcast to partner militaries through its OPERA Command and Control Information System web portal.

This will allow the different militaries to better understand the needs on the ground and prepare their assistance accordingly, minimising duplication and gaps.

"In all, 35 countries have pledged assistance. Different teams will have to work with each other and the local authorities to deliver help effectively," said Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Changi RHCC had concluded that the earthquake was a disaster in the highest category, and the country's worst in 80 years. The official death toll now stands at over 5,000.

In view of the scale of devastation, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and 2nd Minister for Foreign Affairs & Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, who was at Paya Lebar Air Base to receive the returning Singaporeans, announced that the Singapore government would pledge another $150,000 to the Singapore Red Cross. This is in addition to the $100,000 previously donated to the organisation.