Nepal quake: MFA coordinating with MINDEF to evacuate S’poreans

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is coordinating with the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) to arrange for Singaporeans to depart Nepal via a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft, which is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu tomorrow.

In response to media queries on Nepal, following a devastating earthquake yesterday, a MFA spokesman today said that a Crisis Response Team has been despatched to Kathmandu, Nepal, and is currently based in Kathmandu International Airport to assist Singaporeans who wish to leave the country and provide consular assistance.

The spokesman also said that a majority of the registered Singaporeans in Nepal have been contacted and that they have “not received any reports of Singaporeans who have been injured”.

“Nonetheless, there are some Singaporeans who remain uncontactable, probably due to the disruption of the local communication network, and MFA is doing its best to contact them,” said the spokesman.

The earthquake, which took place yesterday (April 25), has claimed about 2,200 lives so far.

Singaporeans in Nepal can contact the MFA Duty Officer (24-hours) at 6379 8800 / 8855 or mfa_duty_officer [at] mfa.gov.sg if they require any assistance and advice.