MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The British embassy in Nepal is currently on alert, and has already helped hundreds of British nationals in the earthquake-shaken Nepal, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Sunday in a statement.
The Foreign Office is urgently deploying additional consular response teams from London and New Delhi to reinforce UK embassy staff, Hammond added.
More than 2,500 people were killed in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which shook Nepal Saturday morning. The disaster occurred about 82 kilometres (51 miles) northwest of the capital Kathmandu, causing massive damage in the region and injuring thousands. The area also experienced a powerful wave of aftershocks following the quake.
Earlier in the day, UK Department for International Development provided £5 mln ($7.6 mln) of aid to Nepal.
Numerous countries, including some EU member states, Russia, the United States, China, India and Israel reached out to Nepal to offer relief aid and rescue teams.
