Indian peacekeepers in quake-hit Haiti safe

NEW DELHI - The 150-odd Indian peacekeepers working under the United Nations in quake-devastated Haiti are safe, but the fate of many other Indians, including Missionaries of Charity nuns, is not known yet, an official said Thursday.

Tens of thousands of people are feared dead in the 7.0 magnitude quake that has reduced the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, to rubble.

According to officials, the 150-odd Indian peacekeepers working under the UN are safe. They have already started to help in rescue efforts in the country, said a senior ministry of external affairs official.

But the fate of 40-50 Indian families, including several nuns working with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity who live scattered around the islands, is still not known. There is no news of them, said the official.

The official told IANS that India will make immediate contribution towards the relief and rescue efforts for the earthquake.

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be sending condolence messages to Haitian President Rene Preval, who issued a worldwide appeal for assistance. We will also be making immediate cash donations towards the rescue efforts, he said.

A statement on this is likely to be released in the evening, he added.