British equipment giant JCB has stepped up its support for earthquake-stricken Nepal with the dispatch of more machines to help the country with its clear-up operations.

JCB provided equipment worth USD250,000 after a second earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck the country last week.

The second quake came two weeks after the initial earthquake that killed more than 8,000 people and left thousands more homeless. JCB responded by donating USD1 million worth of equipment, including a fleet of backhoe loaders and electrical generators.

JCB’s second donation consists of four machines, including compact skid steer loaders, to respond to the current needs in the region. Also included in the donation are a pick-and-carry crane and a Loadall telescopic handler which can lift and load debris in areas devastated by the quakes.

The donated equipment was supplied through MAW Enterprises Pvt Ltd in Nepal.

Last month, Jungheinrich UK contributed to the Nepal aid effort by providing the  Department for International Development with a DFG 670 counterbalance diesel forklift.

According to sources on the ground in Nepal, disaster relief is being severely hampered by the lack of logistics infrastructure. Nepal has only one international airport capable of handling the relief shipments, and it has just one runway. The airport lacks dollies, slave pallets and forklifts.

The relief effort is also being hampered by limited road access.

The Red Cross reports that as many as eight million people’s lives have been impacted by the quake. "Reports vary, but the earthquake has killed 7,700 people, injured more than 16,400, and damaged or destroyed more than 500,000 homes. More than three million
people are in need of food assistance," according to the humanitarian organisation.

While there are no reports presently of other forklift companies assisting in Nepal, many have rallied to assist in past disasters, including last year’s quake in China’s Yunnan region which received support from the likes of Ruyi and Lonking (FLA #682).

JCB has a long history of helping countries affected by major natural disasters, providing $500,000 worth of machines and generators to the Philippines when Typhoon Haiyan struck in 2013. Machines were also donated when earthquakes struck in Haiti in 2010 and in China in 2008 and to southern India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia in 2004 following the Boxing Day Tsunami.

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