Nepal Earthquake Disaster Relief: India Sends Relief Teams, Aid; US And Other Countries Promise Help

Multiple countries are readying disaster response teams and supplies to Nepal in the wake of a devastating earthquake that struck west of the capital, Kathmandu, early Saturday morning. India, the United States, Singapore and other countries pledged relief supplies and aid personnel as the death toll continued to mount.

More than 1,400 have died as a result of the earthquake, as rescuers work to find survivors and pull bodies from the rubble of collapsed buildings and infrastructure. The quake also triggered an avalanche that killed at least 18 people on Mount Everest. Dozens more were killed in India, Bangladesh, China and Tibet.

The U.S. has announced its plans to send a disaster assistance response team, the United States Agency for International Development said Saturday. It also authorized $1 million "to address immediate needs," Jeremy Konyndyk, director of USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, wrote on Twitter.

India has sent 135 people from its national disaster response agency, plus more than 18 tons of relief supplies, Vikas Swarup, the spokesman for the Indian Office of External Affairs tweeted. He said 163 more disaster relief workers were en route, along with five dogs and 28 more tons of relief. The Indian Air Force plans to evacuate 250 people from Kathmandu, Sushma Swaraj, the foreign minister of India said.

Singapore announced it would send a search and rescue team of 55 people to Nepal and would donate $100,000 to the Singapore Red Cross.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to help Nepal, saying the U.K. would do all it could to help, without offering more details.

Israel was preparing to send humanitarian aid and search-and-rescue teams, the Times of Israel reported. The government was also attempting to locate Israeli citizens who were in Nepal. The country is a popular choice for Israeli couples seeking surrogate mothers.

Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, said the IDF would send an "advance assessment team … in order to determine the extent of the IDF humanitarian mission."

The outpouring of humanitarian aid comes as passenger travel to the area has largely been halted. Kathmandu's airport is slated to be closed to commercial flights for two days.