Aid effort increased in Nepal: Death toll over 3,800
NEWS DESK (DİHA) - The international aid effort for Nepal is gathering pace, with Saturday's massive earthquake now known to have killed 3,826 people and injured 6,500.
China, India, Pakistan and Britain are among the countries contributing to the effort, alongside major aid agencies. Nepal has asked for more help, saying it needs everything from helicopters and blankets to paramedics and drivers. At least 200 climbers have now been rescued around Mount Everest, after the quake triggered avalanches. Vast tent cities have sprung up in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, for those displaced or afraid to return to their homes. Across the country, thousands spent Sunday night - their second night - outside.
There are shortages of water, food and electricity, while disease is also a concern. The Nepalese government's Chief Secretary Lila Mani Poudyal said his country was short of relief materials and medical teams. He said there was a desperate need for "tents, dry goods, blankets, mattresses and 80 different medicines". "We don't have the helicopters that we need or the expertise to rescue the people trapped."
The need for doctors would rise as more survivors were pulled from the rubble, he added. Dozens of people are also reported to have been killed by the earthquake in neighbouring China and India. Both countries have sent emergency teams to Nepal, along with Pakistan, which said it was dispatching four C130 transport planes carrying a 30-bed hospital. Other countries, including Britain, Australia and New Zealand are also contributing.
(nt)
