46 Belgians to be evacuated from Nepal

After touching down in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Tuesday, more than 45 hours after their departure from Melsbroek military airport, Belgium’s B-Fast aid team was due to evacuate 46 Belgians and 91 Europeans from the area on Tuesday night.

Immediately after landing, the team unloaded 10 tonnes of tents, food, medical and rescue equipment and liaised with the United Nations coordination unit over the location of Belgians who were in the area when a devastating earthquake hit the country four days ago.

The team’s delayed arrival in the country has not dampened spirits. "This means that other teams will have been able to search several sectors already. They’ll be able to tell us as a result the areas where there are a good chance of still finding survivors amongst the rubble," said the head of the search and rescue team, Rik Telamon. 

Besides flying out 46 Belgians from Nepal on Tuesday evening, the team was preparing to take on board a number of Europeans, including French, Dutch, German, Swedish, Danish and Irish nationals awaiting evacuation from the area.

On Tuesday evening, a Belgian foreign affairs spokesperson stated that the number of Belgians who were in Nepal at the time of earthquake and who still hadn’t been accounted for was 27. According to the latest figures, 220 Belgians were in Nepal when the earthquake struck.