Canada's rescue team departing for earthquake-stricken Nepal

Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is departing for Nepal after Saturday's devastating earthquake that has claimed more than 2,500 lives, according to CTV Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, Canada is also donating relief material worth five million Canadian dollars (about four million U.S. dollars) to Nepal.

Canadian Defence Minister Jason Kenney said that the Canadian government is deploying a DART to Nepal immediately in response to the earthquake.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Saturday expressed his condolences about the earthquake and said Canada is prepared to help out in the wake of the disaster.

The DART is a multidisciplinary military organization designed to deploy on short notice anywhere in the world in response to situations ranging from natural disasters to complex humanitarian emergencies.