Members of a Fairfax County rescue group headed to Nepal over the weekend to help in disaster recovery efforts after a massive earthquake that has already claimed more than 3,800 lives.
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue department said its team, Virginia Task Force 1, departed from a facility in Chantilly over the weekend and headed to Dover Air Force Base. From there, the group left for Kathmandu, according to Twitter messages from the department.
The group’s plane was refueling Monday morning and expected to land in Nepal later Monday evening. The task force that was going to Nepal includes about 50 paramedics, structural engineers, medical personnel and dog handlers, along with search and rescue experts, Fairfax Fire officials said. They are expected to stay up to 14 days in Nepal, as they help in rescue efforts there, according to Dan Schmidt, a spokesman for Fairfax County Fire.