Kathmandu : Shock turned to anger in Nepal on Tuesday as some of the tens of thousands stricken by a devastating earthquake, which killed more than 4,000 people, expressed frustration at what they said was their government’s slow response to the crisis.
International aid has finally begun arriving in the Himalayan nation of 28 million people after the major quake that struck at about midday on Saturday. A Home Ministry official in the capital, Kathmandu, said the death toll from the 7.9 magnitude quake stood at 4,010, with 7,598 injured.
Nepal’s most deadly quake in 81 years triggered a huge avalanche on Mount Everest that killed at least 17 climbers and guides, including foreigners, the worst single disaster on the world’s highest peak. A series of aftershocks, severe damage from the quake, creaking infrastructure and a lack of funds has slowed the disbursement of aid to those most in need.
The head of neighbouring India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), one of the first foreign organisations to arrive in Nepal to help in the search and rescue effort, said finding survivors and the bodies of the dead would take time.
NDRF Director General OP Singh said heavy equipment could not fit through many of the narrow streets of Kathmandu. “You have to remove all this rubble, so that will take a lot of time – I think it’s going to take weeks,” he told Indian television channel NDTV late on Monday.
Many people across Nepal slept in the open for a third night, their homes either flattened or threatened by tremors that spread more fear among a traumatised population. In Kathmandu, as elsewhere, thousands are sleeping on pavements, roads and in parks, many under makeshift tents.
Hospitals are full to overflowing, while water, food and power are scarce, raising fears of waterborne diseases. With aid slow to reach many of the most vulnerable, some Nepalis were critical of the government.
