Tibetan aid for Nepal quake victims

The Tibetan government in-exile here on Sunday expressed its grief over the loss of lives in Nepal following a massive earthquake that jolted the Himalayan nation on Saturday and announced it was sending aid for relief work.

While expressing grief and sadness, Tibetan prime minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay said: "At this dark and painful time, words fail to convey how deeply we feel for the people affected in Nepal, Tibet and India."

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has decided to donate Nepali rupees 20 lakh as a token of contribution towards rescue and relief efforts in Nepal, a statement said.

It also instructed its representatives abroad and the settlement officers to collect donations from their respective areas towards relief efforts in Nepal.

Sangay said: "On behalf of the CTA and the entire Tibetan people, I express my profound sympathies and condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and whose lives have been severely devastated by this horrific natural calamity."

"Our sincere prayers are with the people affected by the earthquake and the governments at this time of national tragedy."

The CTA would hold a special prayer session here on Monday for those who lost their lives in this natural disaster.

More than 2,300 people have been officially declared dead in the quake that measured 7.9 on the Richter scale.