2015/04/28 16:16:24

Taipei, April 28 (CNA) Dozens of Taiwanese rescuers, medical staff and charity group members departed for Nepal on Tuesday afternoon to help the Himalayan country recover from a magnitude-7.8 earthquake last weekend that has left thousands dead.
The 37-member team is comprised of people from the International Headquarters Search and Rescue (SAR), Taiwan, a non-governmental, volunteer-based search and rescue organization, and two charities, the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China and the Buddha's Light International Association.
It also includes doctors and nurses from Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
The team is bringing with it about five tons of relief supplies consisting of blankets, tents, dried foods and medical supplies, a member of the Buddha's Light International Association said.
Departing from Taiwan, the team will make a transit stop in Hong Kong and is scheduled to arrive in Nepal at around 11 p.m. It will be divided into two teams shortly after it lands, the association member said.
Lu Cheng-tsung (呂正宗), head of the International Headquarters SAR, said the 37-member team is scheduled to stay in Nepal for five days to treat injured people and will conduct search-and-rescue missions if necessary.
It was the first group sent from Taiwan to support relief efforts in Nepal, and Taiwan will send more people there if necessary, said Deputy Foreign Minister Andrew Kao (高振群) at a send-off ceremony for the rescue and medical team.
The 7.8-magnitude quake hit Nepal on Saturday, destroying buildings in the capital of Kathmandu and severely affecting rural areas across the region. The death toll has climbed to 4,310, foreign media reported.
The latest tally compiled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs showed that 193 Taiwanese in Nepal at the time of the earthquake have been confirmed safe and 18 remain unaccounted for. Some of them have returned to Taiwan and others are expected to return later Tuesday. 
(By Bien Chen-feng, Wang Shu-fen and Elaine Hou)