KATHMANDU, Nepal -- Some Canadians who were in Nepal when a mammoth earthquake struck last weekend left the country Wednesday on a Canadian military plane bound for India.
The C-17 transport had arrived in Kathmandu early Wednesday morning, carrying elements of the government's Disaster Assistance Response Team to assist in a crisis the United Nations estimates is affecting 8.1 million people.
The plane is capable of holding 100 passengers but officials have not yet confirmed how many Canadians were on the flight to New Delhi.
The Foreign Affairs Department has said 338 Canadian were registered as being in Nepal but it is only an estimate as registration is voluntary.
A second C-17 has left Canada carrying more equipment and people and is expected to be in Nepal on Thursday.
Space is also available on that plane to evacuate more Canadians to India.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake, centred 80 kilometres from the capital, hit on April 25.
Nepalese police said Wednesday the death toll from the quake had reached 5,045. Another 19 were killed on the slopes of Mount Everest, while 61 died in neighbouring India, and China's official Xinhua News Agency reported 25 dead in Tibet.
The disaster also injured more than 10,000, police said, and left thousands more homeless.
In addition to the disaster response team, the Canadian government has pledged $5 million in humanitarian assistance and is also matching donations from citizens until May 25.
Canada's diplomatic presence in Nepal is limited but staff from the High Commission in Delhi have been sent to Kathmandu and a consular service point has been established at the Phora Durbar American Club.
Planes carrying food, shelter and other supplies have been arriving steadily at Kathmandu's small airport, but the aid distribution process remains fairly chaotic, with Nepalese officials having difficulty directing the flow of goods.
About 200 people blocked traffic in the capital Wednesday to protest the slow pace of aid delivery. The protesters faced off with police and there were minor scuffles, however no arrests were made.
Police did arrest dozens of people on suspicion of looting abandoned homes as well as causing panic by spreading rumours of another big quake.
With files from The Associated Press
