Government fears 10,000 have lost their lives. Many still sleep on the streets. Access to rural areas is very difficult.
Suresh Parihar, injured in the earthquake, plays with his daughter Sandhya in a hospital in Kathmandu. / A
The chaos in Nepal becomes more visible as days pass by. Many try to do as much as they can with their own hands to find those who still could be living, below buildings that collapsed.
“We are doing everything we can to rescue survivors”, said Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. “It is a challenge and a very difficult moment for our country.” But the government admitted that the number of victims could surpass the number of 10,000. Sindhupalchwok (944), and the capital, Kathmandu (913), are the regions were most deaths have been reported so far.
The United Nations (UN) said “8 million people in 39 districts have been affected”, more than a quarter of Nepal’s population.
1.4 million are in need of food aid, the UN added.
Hospitals are still not able to offer protection to 8,000 injured people, and there have been about 50 aftershocks since the first earthquake last Saturday.
An aerial view of hillside residential buildings damaged by Saturday’s earthquake at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal. / APNear the epicenter, a district official said that rural villages around it were very difficult to reach - cut off by landslides - and that bad weather was hampering helicopter access.
DIFFICULTIES FOR INTERNATIONAL AID
The Nepal government has pleaded for overseas aid - everything from blankets and helicopters to doctors and drivers.
“We urge foreign countries to give us special relief materials and medical teams. We are really desperate for more foreign expertise to pull through this crisis”, said Chief Secretary Leela Mani Paudel.
People gather on an open space for security reasons at the Basantapur Durbar Square, damaged in Saturday’s earthquake in Kathmandu. / APMany countries have sent aid including Nepal neighboring countries India and China.
But according to the BBC, there is a logjam at Kathmandu airport, with individuals trying to fly out of the country while flights of aid and rescue teams wait to land.
On Monday, four Indian air force aircraft had to return to Delhi international airport after encountering “congestion” at Kathmandu.
Christian organizations are also sending teams and financial help for the victims.
The Red Cross hopes to give a special aid kit to 20,000 families, giving priority to hundreds of families that are still sleeping on the streets.
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