Indonesia continues search for missing nationals in Nepal

Indonesia is continuing the search for six of its nationals who could not be contacted after a deadly earthquake in Nepal even as the country's medical workers started relief operations in two areas of the Himalayan nation hit hardest by the disaster, a senior official said on Monday.

The six missing Indonesian nationals include one staying in the country and five visitors. The search efforts were intensified in Langtang area, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson of Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said, according to Xinhua news agency.

According to data released by the Indonesian foreign affairs ministry, 95 Indonesian nationals were in Nepal when the deadly 7. 9 magnitude earthquake struck on April 25. As of Thursday, most of them could be contacted with some of them already returning to Indonesia.

Sutopo also said that the third consignment of Indonesian relief aid landed in Kathmandu on Monday, adding that it consisted of food, solar cell power generating units, blankets and sarongs.

Sutopo added that Indonesia has received a verbal request from the Nepal government to conduct relief operations for another three months.

"Indonesian medics have received permission to support medical services operation in Kanthipur hospital and set up a field hospital in Satunggal district. Those areas were the most devastated ones in Nepal," Sutopo told Xinhua over phone.

In the initial operation, Sutopo said that an Indonesian field hospital in Nepal's Satunggal district had received dozens of patients.