Coming home: First batch of Singaporeans and PRs return from Nepal
It was a warm welcome for 74 Singaporeans and Permanent Residents after they touched down safely at Paya Lebar Air Base in the early hours of Wednesday morning (April 29).
Returning to Singapore from earthquake hit Nepal, they arrived in a Republic of Singapore Airforce C-130.
There were cheers and hugs from the 100 friends and family gathered. Also there to greet the returnees was Second Minister at Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Mr Masagos Zulkifli.
Help from Singapore
In the wake of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit on Saturday (April 25), Singapore sent a contingent to help relief efforts.
The contingent is made up of about 80 personnel from the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Civil Defence Force and Singapore Police Force.
Touching down in Kathmandu on Tuesday (April 28) the arrival had been delayed when the contingent's C-130 aircraft was diverted to India because of the congested air traffic.
The airport has also been closed several times due to aftershocks.
A Crisis Response Team from MFA went to Nepal on Sunday (April 26) to provide assistance to Singaporeans there.
The Straits Times (ST) reported that the ministry is still trying to contact five Singaporeans whose status is currently unknown. More than 200 are registered in Nepal.
Speaking to ST, Mr Masagos said he hopes that the five are well and that MFA is working hard to get in contact with them and get them out.
Mr Masagos also announced that the government will be donating another $150,000 to be disbursed to the Singapore Red Cross (SRC). This is on top of the $100,000 the government had previously donated to SRC.
Individuals who wish to contribute can find out how to do so here.
United Nations estimates 8 million people have been affected by the earthquake.
Source: Facebook, The Straits Times, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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