Monday, 27 April 2015

Update on Nepal earthquake: Death toll rises above 3,000

Devastation after Nepal earthquake - mound where a temple once stood in Kathmandu, 27 April 2015At least 3,326 people are now known to have died in a massive earthquake which hit Nepal on Saturday, say officials.

More than 6,500 people have been injured, according to the National Emergency Operation Centre.
Dozens of people are also reported to have been killed in neighbouring China and India.
More than 200 climbers have been rescued around Mount Everest, which was struck by deadly avalanches in the 7.8-magnitude quake.
Vast tent cities have sprung up in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, for those displaced or afraid to return to their homes as strong aftershocks continued. Thousands spent Sunday night - their second night - outside.
Officials have warned that the number of casualties could rise as rescue teams reach remote mountainous areas of western Nepal.
Initial reports suggest that many communities, especially those close to mountainsides, suffered significant quake damage.
"Villages like this are routinely affected by landslides, and it's not uncommon for entire villages of 200, 300, up to 1,000 people to be completely buried by rock falls," Matt Darvas, spokesman for aid agency World Vision said.
A man evacuated by helicopter to Pokhara, 200km from Kathmandu, said almost every home in his village of more than 1,000 houses had been destroyed, Mr Darvas told the BBC.
Men dig through rubble in Bhaktapur, Nepal (26 April 2015)Local people have been using basic tools to dig through rubble in badly hit towns like Bhaktapur
Nepal earthquake mapFamily members break down during the cremation of earthquake victims in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu (26 April 2015)Cremations of the dead took place across Nepal on Sunday
Indian rescue personnel search for survivors in a Kathmandu building 26/05/2015A team of Indian rescue personnel look for survivors in a Kathmandu building - such searches are still continuing but winding down
In Dhading district, 80km west of Kathmandu, people were camped in the open, the hospital was overflowing, the power was off and shops were closed, Reuters news agency reported.
A senior official in Gorkha district, the location of the earthquake's epicentre, told AP he had heard reports of 70% of houses being destroyed.
"Things are really bad in the district, especially in remote mountain villages," Udav Prashad Timalsin said. "There are people who are not getting food and shelter."
Among villages affected are some inhabited by Tibetans, many of whom have sought refuge in Nepal. Bridim, north of Kathmandu, is reported to have been virtually flattened.
The roads to where the epicentre was, northwest of the capital, have been cleared and rescue teams are on their way.
Rescue missions and aid are arriving in Nepal from abroad to help cope with the aftermath of the earthquake, the worst to hit Nepal for more than 80 years.
Efforts to dig victims out from under the rubble of collapsed buildings in Kathmandu are also continuing.
But home ministry official Laxmi Prasad Dhakal told Reuters rescuers were "in a really bad shape" after working non-stop for two days. "We are all about to collapse."
Patient Sanu Ranjitkar at a makeshift outdoor shelter in Kathmandu, Nepal (27 April 2015)It brought down some houses that had been damaged in the initial quake.
At hospitals rattled by the aftershocks, staff moved sick and injured patients outside on Sunday afternoon.
The rescue of climbers stranded on Mount Everest came as the weather cleared on Monday morning, allowing more helicopters to head to Base Camp.
Foreign climbers and their Nepalese guides around Mt Everest were caught by the tremors and a huge avalanche that buried part of the camp.
At least 18 people were killed and 60 more injured; others are still missing.
Rescue helicopter at Everest base campA rescue helicopter has been deployed to collect survivors from the foot of Mount Everest
An injured person is carried by rescue members to be airlifted by rescue helicopter at Everest Base Camp (26 April 2015)Rescuers have been able to take some injured people off Mount Everest
Separately rescue workers had told the BBC that climbers stranded on Everest were unable to get down because climbing ropes and ladders have been swept away by a series of avalanches.
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Nepal's ruined tourism

People inspect the damage of the collapsed landmark Dharahara tower in Kathmandu 25/04/2015The quake destroyed several major monuments
At least four out of seven Unesco World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu valley - three of them ancient city squares - were severely damaged.
Nepali Times editor Kunda Dixit told the BBC that the destruction was "culturally speaking an incalculable loss", although he said monuments could be rebuilt.
In Bhaktapur, until now Nepal's best preserved old city, reports say half of all homes have been destroyed and 80% of temples damaged.
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There are 14 international medical teams on the way to Nepal, the UN says, and up to 15 international search-and-rescue have been sent.
International aid is now pouring in, the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder reports from Kathmandu, causing a logjam at the airport.
The UN children's agency says nearly one million children in Nepal urgently need humanitarian assistance as they were particularly vulnerable.
The country is running out of water and food, and there are frequent power cuts, the UN says.
Heavy rain earlier on Saturday further worsened conditions with UN officials expressing concern that thunderstorms that could harm people staying outdoors and lead to a shortage of vaccines against disease including diarrhoea and measles.
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Offers of aid:

  • US: Disaster response team and an initial $1m (£0.7m), according to aid agency USAid
  • China: Rescue team reported to have arrived in Nepal
  • India: Several aircraft, carrying medical supplies and a mobile hospital, and a 40-strong disaster response team, including rescuers with dogs
  • UK: Eight-strong humanitarian team, £5m in aid
  • Pakistan: Four C-130 aircraft carrying a 30-bed field hospital, and army doctors and specialists; urban search-and-rescue teams equipped with radars and sniffer dogs; food items, including 2,000 meals, 200 tents and 600 blankets
  • Norway: $3.9m (£2.5m) in humanitarian assistance
  • Pledges from Germany, Spain, France, Israel and the EU

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