Ireland sends first airlift of supplies to Nepal

Ireland is sending thousands of blankets, tents, tarpaulins, jerry cans and other urgent supplies to assist people affected by the earthquake in Nepal, according to Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan.

The Government is also "liaising with United Nations partner" to deploy members of Ireland's Rapid Response Corps, he said.

The aid, weighing over 63 tonnes, will be distributed by Plan Ireland, Irish Aid’s non-governmental organisation partner, in the Kathmandu-Makwanpur area, Mr Flanagan and Minister of State for Development Seán Sherlock said in a joint statement.

The distribution will focus “on those most severely affected, and those living in temporary settlements or in the open air since their homes were destroyed last Saturday,” the Ministers said.

Mr Flanagan said that Ireland is responding “to the best of our ability”, with humanitarian aid due to total “up to €1 million”. The first of three airlifts, worth over €500,000 in total, has left for Kathmandu airport from the UN humanitarian response depot in Dubai, UAE, where Ireland stores supplies for use in global emergencies.

Two Irish citizens among some 160 Irish citizens believed to have been in the area at the time of the disaster are still not accounted for, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs. The department would not confirm names, or locations.

However, two other Irish citizens still unaccounted for by Wednesday had been located.

The Irish Red Cross said that no Irish were now missing on the list published by the International Committee of the Red Cross, but said it was drawn from information provided by families. It has pledged€50,000 towards the humanitarian effort.

The department said its consular response team remained in place and was in “contact with citizens and their families” at (01) 418 0200.