Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The evacuation process of Indonesian citizens in Nepal after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake devastated the country is running smoothly, and they will soon return to Indonesia, according to National Defense Forces (TNI) Chief General Moeldoko.
"The joint evacuation team has brought together the Indonesian citizens who survived the earthquake in a location, and almost all the victims in Nepal have been properly accounted for," the TNI chief stated at the TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Monday.
Moeldoko remarked that if no obstacle is encountered, the Indonesian citizens, who have been brought together in Nepal, will be flown to their home country on Tuesday.
However, he added that the whereabouts of three to five Indonesians are still unknown, and therefore, the joint evacuation team will continue to search for them.
"About three to five Indonesians have not been found, and according to the information we have received, they stayed at a hotel before it collapsed during the earthquake," the TNI chief noted.
According to a Reuters report, the confirmed death toll from last Saturday's disaster has risen to 6,250, with 14,357 injured.
No number has been reported about the missing people, but bodies are still being pulled out from the debris of the ruined buildings, while rescue workers have not been able to reach some remote areas.
In the capital Kathmandu, many unclaimed bodies were being quickly cremated due to mounting pressure on the mortuaries. Besides the possibility of disease, the stench of the corpses was spreading through localities where the buildings had collapsed.
Several bodies could be of migrant workers from neighboring India, who were living alone in the Himalayan nation, the local officials noted.
"Morgues are full beyond their capacity, and we have been given instructions to cremate the bodies immediately after they are pulled out," stated Raman Lal, an Indian paramilitary force official working in coordination with the Nepali forces.
Aid has started to slowly reach the remote towns and villages in the mountains and foothills of the impoverished nation. However, government officials emphasized that efforts to step up the pace of delivery were hampered due to a shortage of supply trucks and drivers as many of them had returned to their villages to help their families. (WDY)
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Bali 2015
"The joint evacuation team has brought together the Indonesian citizens who survived the earthquake in a location, and almost all the victims in Nepal have been properly accounted for," the TNI chief stated at the TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Monday.
Moeldoko remarked that if no obstacle is encountered, the Indonesian citizens, who have been brought together in Nepal, will be flown to their home country on Tuesday.
However, he added that the whereabouts of three to five Indonesians are still unknown, and therefore, the joint evacuation team will continue to search for them.
"About three to five Indonesians have not been found, and according to the information we have received, they stayed at a hotel before it collapsed during the earthquake," the TNI chief noted.
According to a Reuters report, the confirmed death toll from last Saturday's disaster has risen to 6,250, with 14,357 injured.
No number has been reported about the missing people, but bodies are still being pulled out from the debris of the ruined buildings, while rescue workers have not been able to reach some remote areas.
In the capital Kathmandu, many unclaimed bodies were being quickly cremated due to mounting pressure on the mortuaries. Besides the possibility of disease, the stench of the corpses was spreading through localities where the buildings had collapsed.
Several bodies could be of migrant workers from neighboring India, who were living alone in the Himalayan nation, the local officials noted.
"Morgues are full beyond their capacity, and we have been given instructions to cremate the bodies immediately after they are pulled out," stated Raman Lal, an Indian paramilitary force official working in coordination with the Nepali forces.
Aid has started to slowly reach the remote towns and villages in the mountains and foothills of the impoverished nation. However, government officials emphasized that efforts to step up the pace of delivery were hampered due to a shortage of supply trucks and drivers as many of them had returned to their villages to help their families. (WDY)
Editor : I Gusti Bagus Widyantara
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Bali 2015