Rescuers in Nepal battled on Tuesday to reach remote communities devastated by a huge earthquake that has killed at least 4,310 people, as the impoverished country’s leader said relief workers had still not reached many of the worst-hit areas.
Prime Minister Sushil Koirala told an emergency all-party meeting that the government was sending desperately needed tents, water and food supplies to those in need.
But he said getting help to remote Himalayan villages left devastated by Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude quake was a “major challenge” in the desperately poor country, where many communities are inaccessible by road.
Sources say an estimated eight million people have been affected by the massive earthquake in Nepal, and 1.4 million are in need of food aid, the United Nations says.
International aid has started arriving but there is still a shortage of medical equipment, food and body bags.
The 7.8-magnitude quake hit Nepal on Saturday destroying buildings in Kathmandu and severely affecting rural areas across the region.
A government official said on Tuesday the death toll had risen to 4,310.
Almost 8,000 people have been injured, home ministry spokesperson Laxmi Prasad Dhakal is quoted as saying.
China’s Air Force planes are already in Nepal to give relief to the victims of the quake and also help in rescue operations following Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
Two IL-76 planes were dispatched to an airport in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, and one IL-76 plane was placed at an airport in Kunming, capital of nearby Yunnan Province, to transport PLA rescuers and logistics to Nepal.
