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Search teams in Nepal use hands and heavy machinery to clear quake rubble

Kathmandu, May 01 (ANI): Search and rescue teams started the grim task of removing piles of earthquake rubble for the sixth day on Friday nearly a week after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit the country. They used heavy machinery as well as their bare hands to clear debris of crushed buildings and centuries-old temples. Nepal's Armed Police Force and military were at Durbar Square, a UNESCO world heritage site, picking rubble and rearranging the pagoda-style temples, brick by brick. Eventually, he said, he believed the government will be able to rebuild the site back to the way it was. Many Nepalis have been sleeping in the open since Saturday's (April 25) quake. According to the United Nations, 600,000 houses have been destroyed or damaged.

Foreign Secretary, NSA arrive in Kathmandu as India intensifies relief efforts

Kathmandu, May 01 (ANI): Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived on Friday to oversee the relief operations being carried out in earthquake-hit Nepal by India. The duo will assess the rescue and relief efforts launched under 'Operation Maitri' to aid Nepal. The Indian Army is on a war footing in Nepal. Personnel of the Indian Army and NDRF, who have stepped up their efforts to reach the far-flung areas devastated by the quake, are constantly providing all relief materials besides giving medical aid to those injured. Meanwhile, the death toll caused by the devastating earthquake and aftershocks in Nepal has reached 6,110. According to reports, 11,100 persons were found injured in the earthquake. Massive relief and rescue operations are on, but the multi-national rescue teams are facing difficulties in locating the survivors of the disaster in difficult terrain due to bad weather conditions.

Kathmandu University suffers damages in quake, students in disarray

Kathmandu, May 01 (ANI): The 7.9 magnitude earthquake that rattled Nepal on April 25 has left the Kathmandu University badly damaged. No casualty was reported from the university as it was a holiday when the quake struck. Though the varsity officials are yet to assess the entire damage, deep cracks could be seen in different buildings. It will take a month to restore the buildings, said the officials. The natural disaster has left students in disarray. The death toll from Nepal's devastating earthquake rose steadily past 6,100 on Friday as fresh aftershocks and the stench of rotting bodies made it hard for nervous survivors to return to their homes. Many Nepalis have been sleeping in the open since Saturday's quake. According to the United Nations, 600,000 houses have been destroyed or damaged.

Scuffles break out between Nepalese police and evacuees

Kathmandu, May 01 (ANI): Scuffles broke out between Nepalese police and a crowd of people trying to leave Kathmandu for their hometowns in the countryside after the devastating earthquake killed over 5,000 people. A private boarding school announced that it was organising free bus trips for those who want to go back home and thousands turned up hoping to get on the buses. At one point, police had to shut the gates of the school to keep the large crowd out of the school compound. Scuffles soon broke out when people got angry over whether they will be able to board a bus. Some police used baton to disperse the crowd. Kathmandu has witnessed a mass exodus of people trying to leave the ravaged capital and to re-unite with their families in other parts of the country. However, an acute shortage of vehicles to ferry such large numbers out of the capital has led to intermittent altercations between police and crowds.

People in worst affected district of Nepal clueless about rebuilding lives

Sindhupal, May 01 (ANI): Days after Nepal was hit by a massive quake, measuring 7.9 on Richter scale, residents in Sindhupal district are still clueless how to restart their lives.Reportedly Sindhupal, home to over 300,000 people, is the worst affected in the Himalayan nation with almost 2,000 deaths being reported from this district alone. Rubble and relief camps are a common site in the district. The government still has little precise information where the damage is most extensive and who needs help urgently. A resident, Chandra Prakash Adhikari said that the district was facing massive adversities since the quake struck. However, not all have been able to overcome the fear induced by the massive devastation caused by the earthquake. Many people are still afraid to return to their homes and feel safer under the open sky. With just a thin tarpaulin sheet to lie under, survivors have been braving cold and patchy rain for five days, facing food and water shortages. Another resident, Ka

Nepal rescuers confront hazards in search for survivors, bodies

Kathmandu, May 01 (ANI): Five days after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake devastated the tiny Himalayan country of Nepal, rescuers continued the delicate task of combing through the rubble in the faint hope of finding more survivors. Police rescuers recovered the unidentified body of a quake victim in Bijayashwori where they concentrated one of their searches. A series of aftershocks, severe damage from the quake, creaking infrastructure and a lack of funds have complicated rescue efforts in the country of 28 million people. One rescuer, Laxman Basnet said team sent dogs into the building to search for survivors before the demolition operation began. Officials said the chances of finding more survivors were fading as the death toll reached 5,858. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Mahendra escaped the powerful earthquake at the weekend with minor injuries, but lost everybody in his family. He is the lone survivor in his family, losing his parents, elder sister, his nephew and brother. Recuperating in a

Pakistan denies reports about beef in food packets for Nepal quake victims

Islamabad, May 01 (ANI): Pakistan strongly denied reports in the media that packets of Ready to Eat Meals dispatched to Nepal for victims of the recent earthquake contained beef. Nepal, a Hindu nation, considers cows as sacred and cow slaughter and consumption of beef is punishable by 12 years in prison. Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Tasnim Aslam said that Pakistan dispatched its first medical aid and relief supplies to Nepal on April 26, aboard two C-130 aircraft, which included medicines, blankets, tents, water, rice, lentils, search and rescue equipment and sniffing dogs. The second phase of Pakistan relief assistance dispatched on two C-130 aircraft on April 28, carried tents, blankets, MRE (Meal-Ready-to-Eat), medicines and search and rescue equipment. Aslam said there was no beef content in the ready to eat food dispatched by Pakistan to Nepal. She said the Nepalese authorities found the MREs so effective that they specially requested for a full plane load of MREs on priority.

Nepal Army appeals to foreign governments for more assistance

Kathmandu/ Hyderabad/ Jaipur, May 01 (ANI): Nepal Army appealed to foreign governments for more assistance for the victims of massive earthquake while thanking them for their joint efforts so far. India and China were among the first contributors to an international effort to support Nepal's stretched resources. The United States announced an additional $9 million in aid for Nepal, bringing total US disaster funding to $10 million. Major General of Nepal Army, Binoj Basnyat urged foreign countries to double their efforts, as its main goal was to save as many lives as possible. There are currently India's 13 NDRF teams and 10 helicopters are conducting sorties to detect life in the debris. Meanwhile, hundreds of people in Jaipur and Hyderabad cities took out candlelight marches in solidarity with the people of Nepal, hit by the worst earthquake in 81 years.

NDRF officials pull out 15 bodies from rubbles in Kathmandu

Kathmandu, May 01 (ANI): National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) pulled out fifteen bodies trapped under the rubble of a building in Kathmandu. Rescuers were out in the capital despite heavy rain in the worst-hit Himalayan nation. NDRF, which arrived on Sunday, carried out massive relief operations in Nepal for the sixth day in hopes of finding survivors. India has promised to extend comprehensive support to quake-hit Nepal under the name of 'Operation Maitri' (Amity).

Devastation, Earthquake, Beef Masala, Relief Material, Cow Slaughter, SAARC

Kathmandu, April 30 (ANI): Already reeling under devastation caused by massive earthquake Nepal is now upset over Pakistan sending packets of 'beef masala' as part of relief material to the valley. Pakistan's aid included around 2,000 meals, ready-to-eat packs and bottled water. But this relief effort from Pakistan took an unpleasant turn after some of the food packets sent in reportedly contained beef. Indian doctors from the medical team sent to Nepal found the food packets that were labeled 'beef masala'. A country with strict laws against cow slaughter and religious sentiments attached, a gesture like this by Pakistan during the most difficult times that Nepal is facing has the potential to trigger diplomatic acrimony between the SAARC member countries.

Frustration escalate in remote villages as Nepal struggles with quake aftermath

Kathmandu, April 30 (ANI): Frustration with the government grew as residents of remote areas of Nepal searched through rubble on Thursday. Around 100 houses have been destroyed or seriously damaged in the mountain village of Katteldada where the injured are waiting for helicopter assistance since the massive quake hit Nepal. As locals sat outside for fear of aftershocks, one teacher at Katteldada's school said the government has not provided support for the area. While rescue teams were out in the capital Kathmandu despite the rain, helicopters could not fly to the worst-hit areas in the countryside of the impoverished Himalayan nation. Anger over the slow pace of the rescue flared with protests outside parliament. In the interior, villagers blocked trucks carrying supplies, demanding the government do more to hasten the distribution of aid that has flooded into the country but has been slow to reach those in need.

Nepalese families say they have been left to their own defences

Kathmandu, April 30 (ANI): Families in Nepal are forced to build their own makeshift tents after the massive 7.9 earthquake destroyed their home. Survivors crowded in the outskirts of Kathmandu's old city, most of them living in makeshift tents built by using advertisement banners salvaged from the rubble as shelter. Earthquake survivor Loks Miriban said that apart from a daily ration of water, no assistance has been provided for her family by the government. Prabin Sahs, whose office and home were destroyed in the earthquake, said he and other survivors have been forced to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, long queues of people were formed in the capital, Kathmandu as people waited to board buses to travel out of the quake-hit city. On Wednesday, in Kathmandu, about 200 people protested outside parliament, asking for more buses to go to their homes in remote parts of the Himalayan nation and to hasten the distribution of aid that has flooded into the country but been slow to reach those

New Hindu settlements in India's Kashmir in violation of UN resolutions: Tasnim Aslam

Islamabad, April 30 (ANI): Pakistan's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam on Thursday said that new Hindu settlement in Indian held Kashmir is in full violation of United Nations resolutions. Pakistan has long pressed for the implementation of decades-old UN resolutions calling for a ballot for the region to decide its future. India says the United Nations has no role in Kashmir. Talking about the Yemeni conflict, Aslam said that Pakistan is always ready to play positive and constructive role for the peaceful resolution of the issue.

Mexican mountaineer recounts Nepal earthquake horror from Everest

Kathmandu, April 30 (ANI): A Mexican mountaineer who was climbing up Mount Everest when a deadly 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal returned home to Mexico and recounted his dramatic story of survival as avalanches roared down the massive mountain. The avalanche on Mount Everest killed at least 18 climbers and guides, including four foreigners, the worst disaster on the world's highest peak, at the start of the main climbing season. But Pastor's position on the mountain and the organisation at his camp allowed him to emerge unscathed. Tourism ministry officials in Nepal have estimated that at least 1,000 climbers, including about 400 foreigners, had been at base camp or on Everest when the earthquake struck. Having climbed Everest twice before, Pastor said he had anticipated avalanches but never earthquakes on his trek to the summit.

Germany says it will help rebuild Nepal's cultural heritage

Germany's ambassador to Nepal said his country would help rebuild Nepal's cultural heritage after last week's earthquake which has left over 5,000 people dead and tens of thousands homeless.

Rains hit bus services; quake survivors remain stranded in Nepal

Kathmandu, April 30 (ANI): Rains lashed Nepal for the third consecutive day on Thursday (April 30), hitting bus services in the quake-hit Himalayan country. Even as road services resumed, people could not avail them following downpour that has been disrupting relief and rescue operations in the country. The Indian government had deployed buses to facilitate the return of nationals and foreigners. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also announced the provision of free visas to foreigners wishing to come to India. A few passengers who managed to board the buses said they have been sleeping outside the vehicle in hope of getting back home. Nepal has been receiving rain since Tuesday (April 28). Despite the efforts of relief teams, rain, aftershocks and a lack of money has left the survivors disappointed.

Over 34,000 Nepal quake survivors arrive in Bihar relief camps

Kathmandu/ Raxaul, April 30 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister, Radha Mohan Singh, said that 34,000 people have reached Raxaul on Indo-Nepal border from quake-ravaged Himalayan nation during the last four days and they were being provided food, drinking water and medical facilities at relief camp. Indian government has made a camp in Raxaul which is looking after the safe return of Indians from Nepal. A quake survivor Sunil expressed satisfaction over the facilities at the relief camp. Meanwhile, Kathmandu showed the first tentative signs of a return to normal life with a few shops and restaurants reopening after a four-day near-shutdown following a deadly earthquake.

Nepal's PM visits quake victims in hospital

Kathmandu, April 30 (ANI): Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala visited two hospitals in Kathmandu to talk to people injured by the devastating earthquake which hit the country at the weekend. This is his first hospital visit since the 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit. The death toll has passed 5,000. Koirala travelled to the Birendra military hospital and Bir hospital in the capital. The government has yet to fully assess the devastation wrought by Saturday's 7.9 magnitude quake, unable to reach many mountainous areas despite aid supplies and personnel pouring in from around the world. Koirala also paid a visit to a field hospital in Kathmandu, which has been established by Israeli military medical practitioners. In response to the earthquake on Saturday, Israel made the decision to fly a medical facility and rescue teams into Kathmandu.

Leading news channel in quake-hit Nepal runs from a makeshift tent

Kathmandu, April 30 (ANI): The Kathmandu-based leading news channel, Kantipur Television, is running from a makeshift tent as one of its buildings got damaged after a massive earthquake hit Nepal last week. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Himalayan country on Saturday (April 25), killing over 5,006 people and injuring 10,000 others. The government has yet to fully assess the devastation wrought by quake, unable to reach many mountainous areas despite aid supplies and personnel pouring in from around the world. Amid the crisis, Kantipur Television, popularly known as KTV, is fulfilling its responsibility of making the people of Nepal access the news in its hour of distress, said its news chief, Dilbhushan Pathak. Operational from its Master Control Room (MCR) and Outside Broadcasting van, the news channel has placed its crew members in the tent as the Saturday quake damaged one of its buildings, now being repaired by technicians.

NDRF pulls out ten bodies from rubble of six-storey building in Kathmandu

Kathmandu, April 30 (ANI): As India intensifies rescue and relief effort in quake ravaged Nepal, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) pulled out 10 bodies trapped under the rubble of a six-storey building in Kathmandu. In Kathmandu's neighbourhood, Bijayashwori, a six-storey building housing residents and businesses collapsed in a pancake shape as the 7.9 earthquake hit on Saturday. NDRF carried out massive relief operations in Nepal in hopes of finding survivors inside collapsed buildings. Meanwhile, a team of emergency workers pulled a man from a collapsed apartment block in Kathmandu after he was trapped during an earthquake four days previously. Nepali government has said that the number of confirmed deaths has risen to 5,031.