Eight are part of the UK's International Search and Rescue mission (ISAR), with the ninth supporting a National Government organisation, also in a search and rescue capacity.

The death toll from the earthquake - which hit just outside Kathmandu - is continuing to rise, and currently stands at more than 3,200.

The majority of fatalities were reported in Nepal, with deaths also being confirmed in India, Tibet, Bangladesh and the Nepal-China border.

Britons caught up in the disaster remain stranded in the devastated mountain region.

Chief Fire Officer, Phil Loach, announced the team's departure on Twitter as part of a team of more than 60 search and rescue responders and medical experts.

He added: "We are proud to have highly-professional firefighters willing and able to help and support the Nepalese people in this time of disaster. The thoughts of everyone at West Midlands Fire Service are with the people of Nepal, with our expert team and with everyone supporting the international mission."

A Department for International Development-chartered flight left Standstead airport at 9.15pm last night. The flight had been bound for Kathmandu, but heavy air traffic at the airport meant that the flight was diverted to Delhi, where it landed this morning, with the firefighters awaiting confirmation of their onward travel arrangements.

Advertising

Councillor John Edwards, Chair of West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority, said: "I am very proud that our excellent firefighters from this specialist team are going to Nepal to support the rescue effort for victims of this terrible tragedy. I wish them a safe deployment."

WMFS is coordinating the UK's ISAR response on behalf of the Department for International Development (DFID), and will involve coordinating the movements of nearly 70 personnel deployed as part of the UK response and providing vital welfare support for them and their families.

It will be carrying seven UK International Search and Rescue crews, four search and rescue dogs, a medical support team and a hazardous materials specialist.

Advertising

They will take with them more than 11 tons of kit, including torches, axes, rope, search cameras, stretchers and tents, trauma medics and a five-strong Foreign Office Rapid Deployment Team who will provide further consular assistance for British nationals affected by the disaster.

There will also be experts from aid agencies including the British Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières and Map Action, an international disaster mapping charity.

International Development minister Justine Greening said: "Our thoughts are with all those affected by this terrible earthquake.

"The UK is doing everything it can to help Nepal recover and provide assistance to British nationals caught up in the disaster.

"We are deploying highly trained experts in search and rescue and trauma medicine to pull people from the rubble and save lives. These are brave men and women who will be doing crucial, life-saving work on behalf of the UK."

The UK International Search and Rescue Team is one of the teams registered with the United Nations that can be deployed to crisis hit areas.

The team has successfully carried out search, rescue and relief missions all over the world over the past 18 years.

Crews from the West Midlands helped rescue teams in crisis including in the Haiti earthquake in 2010 and the Japanese tsunami in 2011.