Nepal preparing to send foreign teams home

The Nepal government is preparing to send home all foreign rescue and search teams from over 25 countries, media reported.

Since search and rescue work has almost completed, the remaining work can be executed by Nepali teams, the Central Natural Calamity Relief Committee said on Monday.

"The government will take a formal decision on this soon," ministry of home affairs spokesman, Laxmi Prasad Dhakal said.

Foreign rescuers comprise of: India (962), China (370), Pakistan (87), Sri Lanka (140), Turkey (79), Bangladesh (17), Israel (286), the Netherlands (62), Bhutan (62), Poland (81), the US (94), Japan (98), Malaysia (47), France (47), Spain (9), South Korea (14), Singapore (106), Thailand (54), Belgium (42), Russia (87), Norway (37), Britain (145), Canada (10), Germany (52), the UAE (29), Jordan (23), Sweden (72) and Indonesia (57).

Around 700 foreign medical experts were also deployed for treatment.

Nepal has a total of 1,140 specially trained personnel -- 240 from Nepal Police, 700 from Armed Police Force and 200 from the Nepali Army, government sources said.

After the April 25 earthquake, national and international teams air-lifted 4,179 victims and rescued 1,553, the home ministry said.

The government has released Nepalese rupees 1.35 billion (about $13 million) from the Prime Minister's Disaster Relief Fund for the rescue and relief work in quake-hit areas.