WASHINGTON — The Pentagon dispatched a cargo plane Sunday to Nepal with about 70 disaster-relief and rescue personnel and their gear to aid the earthquake-ravaged country, as the international response to the disaster gears up.
The Air Force C-17 took off at 11:18 a.m. ET Sunday and is expected to arrive in Nepal on Monday, according to Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman. The cargo jet is also carrying journalists and about 45 tons of gear. The cost of the flight is about $700,000.
The Pentagon effort comes after the U.S. Embassy in Nepal announced it had already released an initial $1 million for immediate assistance.
In aid from other countries, the United Arab Emirates deployed an 88-member search-and-rescue team to Nepal on Sunday, and the Emirates Red Crescent also sent a team.
The Israeli military said it is sending a 260-member mission to provide immediate search-and-rescue help and medical aid. The Israeli military said it will be sending a medical staff of 122 doctors, nurses and paramedics as well as 95 tons of humanitarian and medical supplies.
Nepal is a popular vacation destination for Israelis. About 600 Israelis were believed to be in Nepal at the time of the earthquake, and the Israeli government is still trying to account for about 150 them, according to Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Paul Hirschson.
Meanwhile, France said it would send 11 rescuers on Sunday, while Britain announced that an advance team of eight had been sent and that a $ 7.6 million aid package would be available to Nepal under a rapid response plan. Australia has pledged $5 million in aid
Swiss Foreign Ministry said a team of experts including a doctor, a building surveyor and water quality technician had left for Nepal on Sunday.
Contributing: Aamer Madhani in Chicago; the Associated Press
