Inform us before sending aid, says Nepal

Nepal on Tuesday denied it was refusing any aid but requested all countries and international organisations to inform it prior to sending any relief material and personnel to "ensure effective coordination".

The foreign affairs ministry, in a statement, said: "With a view to ensuring effective coordination as well as smooth handling at the airport, the government also requests all the foreign governments and international organizations to send prior information about the details of the relief materials, medical teams as well as the details of their flight to the ministry of foreign affairs."

"At this hour of need for immediate relief works, any indication that the government is declining humanitarian assistance from any friendly countries is not true and, therefore, misleading. The government expects continued humanitarian assistance from all the friendly countries," it said.

The statement came in wake of several media reports that many nations are engaged in evacuating their nationals than providing and distributing relief material.

Expressing its gratitude "for the valuable support and assistance being extended by the friendly countries in immediate response to our request for humanitarian assistance at this hour of great tragedy," the ministry also requested for the scheduling of the flights arriving in Kathmandu with relief materials and medical teams to return at the earliest to help avoid traffic congestion at the airport.

It said the relief materials highly required at the moment are tents, mattresses, blankets, water purifiers, sanitation kits, utensils as well as other materials useful for outdoor stay. Similarly, the country is also in need of fully equipped, self-mobilizing and smart medical teams of orthopedic surgeons, anesthetists, neurologists, paramedics, general surgeons, etc, it added.