18 quake survivors die of cold in Nepal

At least 22 earthquake survivors have died in Nepal and thousands other have fallen sick in various districts of the Himalayan nation due to the harsh winter chill.

Quake survivors have blamed the government for not providing adequate food, medicine, permanent shelter and immediate relief.Reports from several quake-hit districts show that at least 13 people have died in Dolakha district alone, according to the district police office.

Hundreds of quake survivors are forced to live in thin tents in this chilly winter in minimum facilities in the hilly region of the country that has witnessed severe cold in the last one month.

At least five earthquake survivors succumbed to chilling cold in various villages of Dolakha district this week and with eight such cases reported just a few days ago, the number of people who have succumbed to cold at temporary post-quake camps has reached 13.

Police said these people have succumbed to cold while living under unsecured tents after their houses collapsed in the deadly quakes in April this year.

Confirming the death of elderly quake survivors, police officer Bel Bahadur Pandey, said it was yet to be verified if all of them died of cold.

District health official Madhav Lamsal said there might have been other causes including asthma and kidney problems behind the death cases. "Many of them were suffering from chronic diseases," he added.

A 7.8 richter quake rattled central and western regions of Nepal on April 25 this year killing over 9,000 people and injuring more than 23,000. Hundreds of thousands of people were rendered homeless with entire villages flattened across many districts of the country.