Modi shows decisiveness as worst quake since 1934 hits Himalayas

NEW DELHI — It took Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi less than 15 minutes to swing into action to help neighbouring Nepal, after the the worst earthquake in 80 years killed at least 688 people in the landlocked Himalayan state.

“News has come in about an earthquake in Nepal,” Mr Modi tweeted soon after the quake. “We are in the process of finding out more information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home and in Nepal.”

India dispatched a military plane and disaster management personnel to Nepal, air force spokesman SS Birdi said by phone. The swift response may ease pressure off Mr Modi as he battles criticism at home on inadequate compensation for crop damage after unseasonal rains and faces rehabilitation work following a cyclone last week that killed as many as 50 people in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states.

Mr Modi has made South Asia a policy focus since taking power last May. He invited heads of neighbouring nations to his inauguration and, most recently, India sent special equipment to Nepal after a plane skidded last month and blocked the runway. India’s national disaster operations also won global praise in 2013, when decisive action under Mr Modi’s predecessor minimised deaths from cyclone Phailin.

South Asia’s biggest economy also sent sniffer dogs, equipment to cut through rubble and experts on collapsed structures to Nepal today (April 25), said Mr Anurag Gupta, joint secretary for operations and communications at the National Disaster Management Authority.

INDIA TO BANGLADESH

The 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal today causing major damage in densely populated parts of the Himalayan nation and shaking buildings in India and Bangladesh.

Subway services in India’s capital were temporarily suspended and the foreign ministry created phone helplines.

The air force and army is on standby for any orders, India’s Defence Ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar tweeted. “Indian Army Everest expedition team along with Sherpas are safe.”

The South Asia region has a history of catastrophic earthquakes because the tectonic plate that carries the Indian subcontinent is pushing northward into the main Asian plate. About 60 per cent of the India’s land area faces a moderate to severe seismic hazard, according to its National Disaster Management Authority. BLOOMBERG