Over 700 dead in Nepal earthquake: toll expected to rise

Over 700 dead in Nepal earthquake: toll expected to rise
Over 700 dead in Nepal earthquake: toll expected to rise
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Over 700 people are believed to have died in the 7.9 magnitude earth quake that struck 80 km north west of Kathmandu in Nepal on Saturday morning.With  heavy damage to life and property, the toll is expected to rise.Epi- centered in Nepal, effects of the devastating quake have been felt in many part of India. While 688 deaths was the official figures provided by the Nepal government, at least 34 people have died due to tremors felt in different parts of North India. Already, an Indian aircraft, the C130, has  left for Kathmandu carrying both equipment and 40 people belonging to the National Disaster Response Force(NDRF), said Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar in a briefing.  Apart from this, two C17s are to leave for Nepal from the HIndon Air Base.Indian Home Secretary L.C. Goel told the media that 34 people were killed in India. There were 23 dead in Bihar, three were killed in West Bengal while eight people died in Uttar Pradesh, reported IANS.An IAF C-130J Super Hercules aircraft left for Nepal on Saturday with a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and relief material from Hindon airbase.Official sources said that the Indian Air Force's C-130 took off from Hindon airbase in Uttar Pradesh.   After dropping the NDRF team and relief material, the C-130 will perform an aerial recce to check road communication to Pokhara and make detailed assessment of the damage. Meanwhile, an Indian Army expedition team with sherpas at the Mount Everest base camp, is stated to be safe. The Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu was shut on Saturday after a massive earthquake rocked Nepal just before noon, resulting in the cancellation of all the eight subsequent return flights from India bound for the capital city. An IndiGo flight for Nepal, which left at 11:30 a.m. from New Delhi, had to be recalled and the departures of two others were suspended, according to authorities. The flight of Nepalese carrier Buddha Air, bound for Varanasi, was among the eight that were called off. The tremors were felt across India, right from Srinagar to Kochi, and Jaipur to Guwahati. The earthquake struck at 11:41 a.m. India time. With inputs from IANS  

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