On April 25, 2015 an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit Nepal. The epicentre of the quake was in Lamjung, 50 miles (80km) north-west of Kathmandu. Both Kathmandu and Pokhara were very badly affected, with the strong earthquake being felt as far away as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Delhi (India) and Shigatse (Tibetan Autonomous Region, China). This was the worst tremor in the Himalayan region in over 80 years. At the time of writing, 1,400 people are confirmed dead, with at least 1,700 people injured. Thousands more remain homeless due to countless buildings having collapsed or being in danger of collapsing. Older cities, for example Bhaktapur, are very badly affected because many of the buildings which were ancient traditional architecture have been reduced to rubble. Even the famous Boudhanath Stupa has a huge crack at the top.

The earthquake also triggered a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest and 18 people are confirmed dead. Part of the base camp at Everest where mountaineers stay to acclimatise to the altitude, is now partially buried and it is reported that at least 1,000 climbers were in base camp or on the mountain at the time of the earthquake. Many are leaving the mountain now, to seek safer shelter elsewhere.

 

Close to the epicentre of the earthquake. As you can see, the damage is extensive. No photos have been released of Lamjung, the actual epicentre, although India media reports that almost the entire town has vanished.

 

The Nepali government has declared a state of emergency and along with many NGOs, they have sent out appeals to the international community for assistance. Some governments have responded to their request, for example Indian prime minister Narendra Modi who ordered an immediate dispatch of relief and medical teams to Nepal, and the evacuation of Indian tourists. The Chinese government have also prepared their emergency relief team to go to Nepal to help.

The authorities in Nepal are working hard to organise rescue efforts for their people but it is difficult. Not only is the country poor, but the authorities do not have earthquake preparedness training and equipment to deal with such a huge disaster.

 

The epicentre of the earthquake on April 25, 2015

 

At present, the authorities have advised people not to stay indoors due to potential aftershocks, and to look for safe drinking water. As a result, many people have gathered in open spaces like fields to stay away from falling buildings. They are in for a very difficult night however because the latest weather forecast says that temperatures will drop to 12°C (54°F) in Kathmandu, with rural areas and places in higher altitudes likely to be much colder. Hence the Nepali authorities are trying hard to get to the most vulnerable people who have nowhere to stay for the night. In this task, they are facing difficulties reaching rural areas because many have become inaccessible due to road closures.

We in Kechara have been doing pujas all day today, and will do more tomorrow for our friends in Nepal. I have also ordered candles to be lit for Nepal. Life in Nepal is already very difficult and on top of this, now they have an earthquake which will add to the suffering to the people. I pray they will have a swift recovery and that the people of Nepal will unite to help each other in this catastrophe. I am very saddened and worried about this situation. I personally have good friends who live in Nepal.

I send my prayers to the people of Nepal especially and also the other affected areas Pakistan, Bangladesh, Delhi (India) and Shigatse (Tibetan Autonomous Region, China).

Tsem Rinpoche

 

Information at a glance

• Nepali government has declared a state of emergency in Nepal.
• The earthquake measured 7.9 on the Richter scale. It was the strongest earthquake in this region in over 80 years.
• At the time of writing, the death toll has exceeded 1,400 (Source: Royal Nepalese Army). The death toll is expected to continue to rise. Update April 26, 2015: official death toll has now exceeded 2,200 (Source: Nepal Police).

• At least 600 people are dead in Kathmandu Valley (Source: Nepal Home Ministry)
• 200 in Bhaktapur
• 100 in Dhading
• 87 in Kavrepalanchowk
• 55 in Rasuwa (Setopati)
• 42 in Gorkha
• 50 in Nuwakot
• 31 in Dolakha
• 9 in Ramechap
• The collapse of a 7-storey building in Kapan alone has killed at least 70 (Setopati)
• 380 bodies have been recorded in Om hospital

• The earthquake triggered a deadly avalanche. Part of the Everest base camp is now partially buried. At least 18 bodies of foreign climbers have been recovered. At least 1000 climbers were on the mountain or at base camp at the time.
• Nepali Cabinet allocates 50 crore (NPR500mil / RM17.5mil / US$4.9mil) for relief efforts.
• The US government will provide $1 million for relief efforts.
• Hospitals are crowded. Beds have been set up in the streets near hospitals.
• Treatment at private and public hospitals is free for earthquake victims.
• The Nepali government will provide free visas to foreigners who are willing to help in relief efforts.
• Helicopters equipped with night-vision are being sent to Lamjung (the epicentre) and Gorkha for night-long rescue operations.
• Over 50 tremors have struck Nepal so far.
• There will be frequent aftershocks till 11am-12pm tomorrow. It is advised to remain outdoor tonight. Meanwhile, the meteorological department predicts rainfall tonight.
• People have gathered in open places like Lainchaur Scouts, Singhadurbar and Tudhikhel.
• Epicentre is believed to be Lamjung, though no photos of Lamjung have been posted so far. Indian media reports the town has almost vanished.
• Locals say 90% of houses in Gorkha and Lamjung have collapsed.
• Tribhuvan International Airport is now open. The first four relief/aid flights are on their way from India, with three tonnes of support for Nepal.
• Telephone lines all over the country are disrupted. Citizens are encouraged to use Internet-based communications to get in touch with loved ones, and refrain from congesting the phone networks.
• All three Durbar squares in Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur have been heavily affected. The famous Dharhara tower in historic Kathmandu, a well-known landmark, has been reduced to rubble.
• In Bhaktapur, until now Nepal’s best preserved old city, reports say half of all homes have been destroyed and 80% of temples damaged.
• Security forces have been carrying out rescue operations in different parts of the city.
• Unconfirmed reports say western Nepal has been devastated.
• Hospitals are need of volunteers more than ever. If you are safe and want to contribute, please visit the nearest hospital.
• Please click HERE for the latest information.

 

Emergency supplies are needed. Please circulate this information and donate it to the NGOs and collection points in your respective countries.

 

Emergency numbers for various authorities in Nepal.

 

Missing Persons Registers

• Facebook Safety Check: let your friends and family know you are safe: https://www.facebook.com/safetycheck/nepalearthquake/
• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) List to register and look for missing persons: http://familylinks.icrc.org/nepal-earthquake/en/Pages/Home.aspx
• Google Person Finder: Nepal Earthquake: http://google.org/personfinder/2015-nepal-earthquake

 

Donate to Relief Efforts

• World Food Programme: http://wfp.org/nepal
• Oxfam UK: https://donate.oxfam.org.uk/emergency/nepal?pscid=ps_msn_Emergencies_bing_nepal_earthquake_generic
• Oxfam America: https://secure2.oxfamamerica.org/page/content/nepal_earthquake/
• World Vision: https://www.worldvision.org/
• UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org.uk/landing-pages/Donate-Nepal-Earthquake/
• CARE: https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?df_id=18840&18840.donation=form1&quickDonate=%24
• Save the Children: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=9241341&ct=14615143&notoc=1
• America Nepal Medical Foundation: https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/nepal-earthquake-relief-fund
• Shikshya Foundation Nepal: https://www.crowdrise.com/nepalearthquakefund

 

BBC Reports on the Nepal Earthquake

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/BBCNepal.mp4

 

NEPAL

More photos which were taken near the epicentre of the earthquake.

 

 

A large crack can clearly be seen on the famous Boudhanath Stupa, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

 

The smaller stupas surrounding Boudhanath are badly affected as well

 

Many of my Malaysian friends know this area well as we have visited many times on pilgrimage. We even have Kechara Lounge right next to the Stupa itself.

 

The ancient Dharhara tower, a landmark in historic Kathmandu city has completely collapsed as a result of the earthquake.

 

Nepali people come together to assist the injured and those trapped in the rubble.

 

 

Large cracks have appeared on the roads throughout Nepal, making it very difficult for rescue and recovery efforts.

 

 

 

Thanks to modern technology, our Nepali friends here in Malaysia were able to contact their loved ones back home and confirm everyone is okay. Some of their family homes have collapsed but thankfully none of their family members are badly injured.

 

Nepal’s narrow streets have made it very difficult for rescuers to reach some of the more densely-populated areas. Collapsed buildings have made narrow alleyways completely inaccessible.

 

Entire homes have collapsed while surrounding buildings remain in danger of collapse. Many are reported missing and feared trapped under the rubble.

 

Rescue workers rush a victim to receive medical treatment.

 

Nepal is famous for its ancient and unique architecture. However, they were not built to withstand such shocks and many have collapsed completely.

 

Monasteries near Boudhnath Stupa were badly affected. Everyone has been evacuated into safe open spaces.

 

It is a strain even for modern technology to protect buildings in earthquake-prone zones. It is no surprise many of Nepal’s old structures were unable to cope with today’s earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale.

 

The difference is very stark and obvious.

 

 

 

Even more modern buildings were not spared. The earthquake caused widespread damage. Not only have many people lost their homes but hundreds of businesses are affected too.

 

With so little to their name already, many Nepali people face an uncertain future and have nowhere else to go. For most, it will be a struggle to rebuild their lives.

 

In a country where the majority earn a subsistence income just enough to support themselves, Nepal faces a long and slow road to recovery.

 

Residents have been instructed by the authorities to remain outdoors and to seek shelter in safe places. There is a fear of aftershocks causing more already-vulnerable buildings to fully collapse

 

The earthquake left many buildings in danger of collapse.

 

With authorities straining to assist everyone, the locals are coming together to help the vulnerable and injured.

 

 

 

 

 

Residents have been advised to stay away from collapsed buildings and not to take matters into their own hands. However, with so many trapped and authorities finding it difficult to reach everyone, it is understandable that many feel they have no choice.

 

Clearing all the rubble will require teamwork.

 

It will be many years before Nepal fully recovers from the damage caused by this earthquake.

 

May all who perished in this tragedy take a swift, good rebirths. OM MANI PADME HUM.

 

As the number of casualties rise, Kathmandu’s main hospital struggles to treat the estimated 1,700 people who are injured so far and the number is rising. Countless others who are not injured but have been left without homes, face many nights sleeping on the street.

 

Scene outside Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Overwhelmed with the injured, many have to wait outside to receive treatment.

 

At other hospitals, the wounded are treated outside the hospitals which have run out of space inside.

 

It is uncertain when any buildings will be declared fit for habitation and residents will be allowed to return to their homes. Many of Kathmandu’s buildings, for example, were not constructed according to any building or safety regulations.

 

It is believed that the earthquake destroyed many precious holy artifacts.

 

Rural areas have become near-impossible to reach, with mountain roads completely impassable due to major rock slides triggered by the earthquake.

 

Travellers lend a hand to help clear the roads.

 

Tour buses struggle to make their way through, as will rescuers and their equipment.

 

The Indian and Chinese governments have prepared their emergency rescue teams to assist Nepal in their rescue and recovery efforts. Here are the Chinese relief workers ready to head for Nepal.

 

The Chinese International Search and Rescue Team sets off for Nepal with specially-trained canines.

 

 

Rescue and relief aid on its way from India.

 

Within hours of the earthquake, and despite having casualties and damage of their own, the Indian government dispatched two military aircraft filled with relief workers, medicines and blankets.

 

 

 

The government has asked their people to gather in open spaces away from buildings that are at risk of collapse.

 

Too scared to return to their homes, and warned by the authorities to be ready for aftershocks, people prepare to spend a night on the streets.

 

 

With the latest weather forecasts predicting rain and temperatures as low as 12°C (54°F) in Kathmandu, the survivors are in for an uncomfortable night.

 

 

 

 

Food will have to be carefully rationed over the next few days as supplies may be difficult to come by. With so much destruction, cooking equipment and facilities were also lost. The government has advised their citizens to secure access to clean drinking water.

 

SHIGATSE

Neighbouring regions were not spared. In northern India, there is an estimated 34 deaths. In Shigatse, T.A.R., it is believed at least six have perished and in Bangladesh, two people.

 

The earthquake was so powerful, it was felt as far away as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Delhi in India and Shigatse (Tibetan Autonomous Region, China).

 

In Shigatse (where these pictures were taken), the earthquake measured 5.9 on the Richter scale.

 

 

Although not as extensive as Nepal, the damage to Shigatse was clear. Residents have been told not to enter buildings until further instruction.

 

 

The people of Shigatse are taking shelter in open areas.

 

 

The extent of the damage in Shigatse ranged from major cracks appearing on buildings…

 

…to complete collapse.

 

INDIA

People gathered in an open space after earthquake tremors were felt in Bhopal, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

 

Bystanders looked at a collapsed house in Siliguri, in the Indian state of West Bengal.

 

Initial reports suggest 39 casualties as a result of the earthquake, with Bihar state being one of the worst hit. At least 26 people died in Bihar and 113 were injured while in Uttar Pradesh, at least 10 people died and 34 were injured. In West Bengal, at least three people died and more than 30 were injured.

 

MALAYSIA

As soon as I heard about the devastation in Nepal, I asked my friends in Kechara Forest Retreat to light 108 candles and dedicate it to the people of Nepal and their country.

 

Our wonderful Kechara Forest Retreat team lit the candles outside of Wisdom Hall, in front of our stone statue of Je Tse Zin Ma (Tsongkhapa in Long Life Form).

 

 

 

I requested our students to do a Dorje Shugden puja for our Nepali brothers and sisters. Here they are setting up the tsok offerings.

 

Pastor Shin sets up the altar for our Dorje Shugden puja.

 

I am so happy that our Nepali boys learned how to do Dorje Shugden puja in Nepali. Now they can recite prayers and dedicate it to their friends, loved ones, to the people of Nepal and to their beloved country.

 

I wanted to speak to our Nepali friends to offer my condolences and some words of comfort. KB, who is seated next to me, helped me to translate my message to them by speakerphone as I called them.

 

Our kind Kecharians doing Dorje Shugden puja in Nepali and in English. May Nepal recover swiftly, may all who perished take good rebirths and may no one come to any further harm. We have many Nepali friends who came to join in doing this puja. There are many Nepali expatriates who work in Malaysia.

 

In Kuala Lumpur, our team did a Dorje Shugden puja and in Kechara Forest Retreat, our team there also did a Dorje Shugden puja and lit 108 candles for the people of Nepal.

 

I asked my students to focus and to request Bhagwan Dorje Shugden to assist the people of Nepal.

 

 

 

Our Nepali friends, led by KB, lit 108 candles for the people of Nepal while reciting OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SOHA.

 

 

 

 

The candle stands were used today for the first time, to dedicate to our Nepali friends and the nation.

 

 

 

On the morning of April 26, 2015 our pastors and fellow teachers led their Sunday children’s Dharma class in offering candles and prayers for the people of Nepal.

 

 

 

Everyone queued up to take turns offering their candles and prayers.

 

Younger ones were assisted by our kind Kecharian Sunday Dharma class teachers. It makes me very happy to see our children being introduced to Dharma at such a young age. Dharma is the best gift any parent can introduce to their children’s lives because Dharma helps a child to learn how to make the right decisions for themselves and others when they are older.

 

 

Pastor Adeline offering her prayers for the swift recovery of the country of Nepal. May all rescue and aid efforts to benefit the Nepali people quickly come to fruition.

 

Everyone offers three prostrations to the Three Jewels before reciting their prayers, led by Pastor Niral.

 

 

Our young Kecharians focused strongly on the people of Nepal.

 

 

Missing Persons Registers

• Facebook Safety Check: let your friends and family know you are safe: https://www.facebook.com/safetycheck/nepalearthquake/
• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) List to register and look for missing persons: http://familylinks.icrc.org/nepal-earthquake/en/Pages/Home.aspx
• Google Person Finder: Nepal Earthquake: http://google.org/personfinder/2015-nepal-earthquake

 

Donate to Relief Efforts

• World Food Programme: http://wfp.org/nepal
• Oxfam UK: https://donate.oxfam.org.uk/emergency/nepal?pscid=ps_msn_Emergencies_bing_nepal_earthquake_generic
• Oxfam America: https://secure2.oxfamamerica.org/page/content/nepal_earthquake/
• World Vision: https://www.worldvision.org/
• UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org.uk/landing-pages/Donate-Nepal-Earthquake/
• CARE: https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?df_id=18840&18840.donation=form1&quickDonate=%24
• Save the Children: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=9241341&ct=14615143&notoc=1
• America Nepal Medical Foundation: https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/nepal-earthquake-relief-fund
• Shikshya Foundation Nepal: https://www.crowdrise.com/nepalearthquakefund

 

UPDATES

April 26, 2015 @ 6:46pm (GMT 8+)

• Since Saturday’s earthquake, there have been up to 25 aftershocks of equal / near-equal magnitude. Deputy Chief of Mission at Nepal’s Embassy in New Delhi Krishna Prasad told Buzzfeed News the aftershocks are “continuous” and “getting stronger.”
• Major aftershock measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale hits Nepal day after earthquake.
• Sets off fresh avalanches on Mount Everest.
• The epicenter of Saturday’s earthquake was less than 50 miles northwest of Kathmandu, at a depth of 9.3 miles.
• The epicenter of today’s aftershock was Kodari. It occurred closer to Everest, 40 miles east of Kathmandu, at a depth of 6.2 miles, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
• Official death toll has exceeded 2,200 (Source: Nepal Police). At least 1,958 of the deaths are in Nepal alone, with at least 700 of those from Kathmandu City (Source: Home Ministry).
• Around 4,625 people are reported to be seriously injured, with more than 40,000 people seeking treatment from hospitals (Source: CARE’s Emergency Response Coordinator in Kathmandu).
• 30 out of Nepal’s 75 districts have been affected. Information is coming mostly from the cities.
• Information from rural areas has been scant but it is reported that at least 80% of houses have been destroyed (Source: Lex Kassenberg, Nepal country director for CARE International).
• It has been reported that Langtang village was overwhelmed after a deadly avalanche was triggered by Saturday’s earthquake. More than 100 are feared dead.
• Kathmandu’s famous Dharahara tower, built in 1832, was packed with people when it collapsed. At least 50 bodies have been recovered from its ruins.
• Koshi Highway obstructed due the landslide triggered by the earthquake.
• Survivors are pooling resources but soon there will be a scarcity of especially clean water. Aid agencies are concerned as the latest weather forecasts predict temperatures to drop and people are being left without electricity, running water and shelter.
• International Search and Rescue Germany: a team of 52 relief workers including doctors, experts trained in searching for people buried under rubble and several dog squads are flying to Nepal today. They will bring with them a mobile medical treatment centre.
• France: sending 11 rescue workers and emergency equipment to the area.
• India: sent several aircraft carrying medical supplies and a mobile hospital, as well as a 40-strong disaster response team, including rescuers with dogs
• The UK: sending an eight-strong team of humanitarian experts and GBP5mil in aid (RM27.1mil / US$7.5mil)
• Pakistan: sending four C-130 aircraft carrying a 30-bed field hospital and army doctors and specialists, as well as urban search-and-rescue teams equipped with radars and sniffer dogs. They are also sending food items, including 2,000 meals, 200 tents and 600 blankets.
• Norway: promised 30 million krone (RM13.8mil / US$3.9mil) in humanitarian assistance.
• Germany, Spain, France, Israel and the European Union have also pledged to send aid.

The largest dot indicates the epicentre of Saturday’s earthquake; the star indicates the location of Kathmandu; the smaller dots surrounding Kathmandu indicate the location of the aftershocks.

 

Residents of Kathmandu were advised to remain outdoors due to potential aftershocks. The advice was well-founded as today there was an aftershock measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale.

 

Receiving treatment in the hospitals. With overcrowding forcing many to be treated on the streets outside the hospitals, these casualties are fortunate to have somewhere warm and sheltered to stay.

 

Scenes of the destruction wrought by the earthquake continue to emerge.

 

Some of the most badly-affected rural areas are nearly totally destroyed.

 

Kathmandu residents spent a cold night sleeping outdoors. However, temperatures in the rural areas were much lower and it has been reported that 80% of the houses are destroyed.

 

A helicopter takes off from Mount Everest, where 18 bodies of climbers has been recovered and countless more are still reported missing.

 

China’s search and rescue teams depart for Nepal.

 

The Indian team leave for Nepal.

 

Aid from various countries continues to arrive. Seen here is a shipment from Sri Lanka.

 

Aid from Pakistan is loaded onto a military cargo plane.

 

Pakistan, where the tremors were felt, was one of the first countries to respond with offers of aid and assistance within hours of the earthquake.

 

 

 

 

Japan has sent a disaster response team to assist the people of Nepal.

 

The United States has deployed urban search and rescue specialists, with specially-trained sniffer dogs, to assist in the rescue efforts.

 

 

 

Excavators and other machinery are finding it difficult to navigate Kathmandu’s narrow streets. As a result, much of the work has to be done by hand.

 

 

 

Residents take refuge in makeshift shelters in open areas.

 

 

 

Puja at Kechara House, Malaysia for Nepal and her people

A Kecharian’s two daughters are missing at Mount Everest’s base camp.

 

Dorje Shugden and Setrap prayers were offered today at Kechara House gompa in Malaysia, for the people of Nepal.

 

Candles were also lit and offered. May everyone who is missing be reunited soon with their loved ones.

 

 

 

 

 

The prayers were led by Pastor Niral, assisted by Pastor Han Nee and Pastor Lanse.

 

 

I am so happy to see that our pastors organised a prayer like this for the suffering people for Nepal.

 

 

The merits were dedicated to the swift recovery of Nepal and her people.

 

 

We will continue to do prayers for the people of Nepal who are suffering greatly now.

 

 

 

April 27, 2015 @ 1:31am (GMT 8+)

• It’s been more than 36 hours and over 90 aftershocks have been experienced so far. 25 of those have been equal / near-equal to the magnitude of Saturday’s quake.
• Fresh tremor of 5.4 magnitude felt in Nepal at around 10:20pm NST (12:35am Malaysia time GMT 8+).
• Death toll exceeds 2,288 (Source: United Nations), at least 1100 killed in Kathmandu Valley and 1200 outside Kathmandu Valley (Home Ministry).

• 200 in Bhaktapur
• 151 in Lalitpur
• 50 in Eastern zone
• 1000 in Central
• 200 in Western region (Kantipur)

• At least 6,239 people injured. At least 41 climbers on Everest were injured.
• Over 200 people missing in the Everest region.
• Death toll in India stands at 67; death toll in Tibet stands at 18.
• Six Royal Nepalese Army soldiers and Three Nepal Police officers have lost their lives during the relief operations.
• 120 people rescued from Barpak Village in Gorkha (near the epicentre of Saturday’s quake).
• A collective funeral will be held for unclaimed bodies.
• People will be spending their second night outdoors due to continued aftershocks.
• Government has requested the people to remain alert till 3pm tomorrow.
• Meteorological department forecasts heavy rainfall.
• Nepal government has urged everyone to donate their blood.
• 6,600,000 people affected (Source: UN).
• Rural parts of Nepal have suffered landslides and roads are cut off.
• Constant power outage, telephone line congestion and crowded hospitals. Hotels and wealthy homes have their own generators but are reliant on diesel being trucked in from India. Supplies are dwindling due to road closures.
• On Sunday, the government began setting up 16 relief stations across Kathmandu and the rest of the country, to ease distribution of water, food and medicine (Source: Ministry of Home Affairs).
• Kathmandu Airport has resumed operations.
• Israel: preparing to send two Boeing-747s carrying 260 aid workers and more than 90 tonnes of cargo to Kathmandu.

At Everest base camp, rescuers transport an injured person to a waiting helicopter to be airlifted for treatment.

 

The devastation is obvious at Lapark Village (Source: Setopati).

 

 

Collective funerals are being held for unclaimed bodies.

 

Funeral rites at Pashupati Aryaghat.

 

 

Residents of Kathmandu face a second night outdoors as meteorological forecasts predict heavy rain.

 

Hanuman Dhoka

 

Kasthamandap

 

Maju Deval

 

Trailokya Mohan Narayan Temple

 

Narayan (Vishnu) Temple

 

Swayambhunath

 

Boudha Stupa

 

Dharahara Tower

 

Vastala Durga Temple

 

Fasidega Temple

 

Shiva Temple

 

Hari Shankar Temple

 

Char Narayan (Jagannarayan)

 

Yoganarender Malla

 

In Johor Bahru, Malaysia, our study group organised a double Protector puja to dedicate merits for the swift healing and recovery of Nepal and all of her citizens. May they stay strong and their sufferings come to end quickly.

 

June Tang led the following attendees in the puja: Mdm Tang Noi Kee, Alex Tang, Tang Suan Choo, Tang Ah Poy, Tang Hui Yue, Mdm Ee Ah Ying, Low Chee Foo, Ash Ng, Tan Hook Peng, Leu Nyok Ling and Sheryl Low.

 

 

April 27, 2015 @ 7:15am (GMT 8+)

• Singapore: two C-130s carrying aid equipment and nearly 50 men and women from Singapore Civil Defence Force’s DART (including 4 dogs) and Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre’s advance team.
• Bhutan: sending a 37-member medical team assisted by 15 Desuups (citizens trained in disaster relief operations) to offer medical assistance for the earthquake relief operations. The medical team will comprise of surgeons, medical specialists, nurses and technicians from the Ministry of Health, and Royal Bhutan Army. The Bhutanese team will travel via a special Druk Air flight which, on its return, will bring back Bhutanese stranded in Kathmandu.

Final checks take place on Singapore’s C-130s before take-off.

 

Singapore Civil Defence Force (Lionheart Contingent) prepare to be deployed to Nepal.

 

 

 

China was one of the first countries to respond to Nepal’s request for assistance from the international community.

 

A Chinese medical team were already stationed in Nepal and were instructed by the National Health and Family Planning Commission to “take an active part in medical relief work”. They were then joined by 62 members of a specialist search and rescue team who left Beijing on Sunday morning to assist in the rescue efforts in Nepal.

 

Upon their arrival, the Chinese team immediately set to work.

 

 

 

The Chinese team were warmly received by the Nepalis.

 

April 27, 2015 @ 6:58pm (GMT 8+)

• Over 100 aftershocks have been recorded in the last two days. Among those, 15 measured above 6 on the Richter scale, and 45 of them were above 4.5.
• In Nepal, the official death toll has exceeded 3700, with more than 6900 people injured (Source: Nepal Police). In Kathmandu Valley alone, 1302 people are confirmed deceased and 4228 are injured.
• India has reported 56 deaths, and China reports 20 deaths.
• Rescue is now slowly turning to recovery as more and more bodies are turning up, rather than survivors. Rescuers say the first 72 hours after a disaster is especially critical.
• The aftershocks have complicated rescue efforts. From Israel, 260 emergency responders were about an hour away from departure when an aftershock in Kathmandu delayed them.
• USAID’s Disaster Response Team (54 urban search and rescue specialists and six specially-trained dogs) were headed to Nepal via a C-17 military transport plane. The dogs are trained to find signs of life in rubble after a disaster. The trip was expected to take about 24 hours, reducing the precious hours left in which survivors are likely to be found.
• Electricity in Kathmandu was cut off and the entire city was in darkness. It has since been restored.

• Sindhupalchowk: 994 deaths recorded.
• Eastern Region: 40 killed and 107 injured
• Central Region: 2138 killed and 2281 injured
• Western Region: 231 killed and 277 injured.

• 35 out of 75 districts affected.
• 169 unidentified bodies kept in various hospitals of Kathmandu.
• All mountaineers have been airlifted from Everest and brought to the base camp.
• Mungling Highway has been cleared from a rock slide and is now accessible.
• Commercial banking services have resumed and the government has urged shopkeepers to help the people by resuming their business. Those engaged in black market services will face severe legal punishments.
• High airline traffic at Tribhuvan International Airport has led to delays. Only those with tickets are being admitted into the airport.
• The latest weather forecast predicts more rain for the next 24 hours.
• Rebuilding the historical monuments may take up to 10 years.
• Bhutan: Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay has arrived in Kathmandu with his medical team.
• India: search and rescue team has already landed and begun operations. A total of 14 helicopters are being mobilised to support efforts.
• Pakistan: search and rescue team has arrived and begun operations.
• China: search and rescue team has landed and begun operations.
• Israel: after an initial delay in departure due to aftershocks in Kathmandu, their search and rescue team have arrived and begun operations.
• USA: an American medical team (eight personnel) were already stationed in Nepal. They have been deployed with medical kits. USAID’s Disaster Response Team from Fairfax, Virginia are on their way, and are expected to arrive today. Another team from Los Angeles are readying to be deployed for search and rescue, or debris management (to be confirmed).
• UK: search and rescue team (90 personnel) are expected to arrive today. Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters (SARAID), a charity from the UK have also put an official offer of assistance to the Nepali government and are awaiting approval.
• Japan: search and rescue team with canines are expected to arrive today.
• Finland: search and rescue team (30 personnel) are expected to arrive today.
• United Nations: four personnel from Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Regional Office are on their way to engage in co-ordination efforts.
• The European Union: two personnel from ECHO (their Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection unit) are on their way to engage in co-ordination efforts.

 

Shiv Temple.

 

Tripureshwor Chowk.

 

People are seeking refuge in any open spaces available, including the stadiums.

 

 

Excavators and bulldozers have begun to clear debris and rubble in areas they can access. Pictured here is an excavator in the Sundhara area.

 

Sundhara area.

 

 

Queues have sprung up for food and drinking water, both of which are scarce.

 

The scene at Tundikhel. Every available open space in the city is being utilised.

 

Surprisingly, New Road (one of the older areas of the city) fared well and the damage from the earthquake was not extensive.

 

New Road Park has become home to hundreds of Nepalis seeking refuge.

 

Basantapur Durbar Square was extensively damaged.

 

 

Fearing aftershocks, Kathmandu’s residents gather on the limited open ground available to keep safe from buildings which continue to collapse two days after the initial earthquake.

 

Dili Bazaar.

 

The Chinese search and rescue team at work.

 

April 28, 2015 @ 12:07am (GMT 8+)

• Another earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale was recorded on April 27, 2015 at 6:30pm NST (8:45pm Malaysian time GMT 8+) on April 27, 2015. Its epicentre is believed to be 5 kilometres southwest of Mirik, India.
• Nepal suffered another major aftershock measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale on April 27, 2015 at 9:37pm NST (11:52pm Malaysian time GMT 8+).
• Thailand: the Medical Council of Thailand set up online registration for volunteers, and by Monday afternoon 350 doctors had signed up. The Thai Red Cross and the Public Health Ministry are sending medical personnel. The Commerce Ministry are donating rice in addition to the Thai government’s initial donation of US$200,000 (RM710,000). TV channels are running programmes to solicit donations. Police doctors and forensic specialists are leaving to help identify victims, and military doctors and aircraft are also being mobilised. The army are sending supplies, and deploying a drinking-water production unit as well as putting on standby a group of military engineers to repair public utilities and homes. Volunteers have been instructed to be ready to face hardship. Basic facilities, food and water are in short supply in the affected areas.
• India: sent 400 tonnes of relief materials and basic supplies so far, and 1,000 trained personnel. They have also deployed 24 aircraft and helicopters.
• Pakistan: they have deployed four aircraft for rescue and relief assistance, as well as 30-bed mobile hospital.
• Norway: promised US$4mil (RM14.2mil) in relief and rescue efforts.
• Japan: they have deployed about 70 rescue experts to assist in operations, along with four sniffer dogs. The government has also provided ¥25 million (RM744,000 / US$210,000) worth of tents, blankets and other items to Nepal in its initial aid package.
• Sweden: a 76-member team with 12 sniffer dogs are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.
• The European Union: the European Commission are offering US$3.25mil (RM11.5mil) in emergency aid, along with money being offered by individual EU member states.
• Asian Development Bank: pledged up to US$200mil (RM708mil) in support for the first phase of Nepal’s rehabilitation, likely to be a combination of grants and loans.
• Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders): this NGO is sending 3,000 kits of non-food items and medical kits.
• Google: announced a US$1mil (RM3.5mil) rescue fund.

Click the image above to enlarge.

 

The Turkish search and rescue team have commenced their work.

 

Working hand in hand with the Nepali authorities, they wasted little time scouring the debris for survivors and bodies.

 

 

 

 

Members of Khalsa Aid, a UK-based Sikh charity depart with hundreds of surgical masks and water purification tablets. These are much needed with clean drinking water in short supply.

 

Members of India’s Second Battalion National Disaster Response Force ready to depart for Nepal.

 

 

 

Bhutanese personnel queue in Paro Airport ready to deploy for Nepal. Bhutan have sent a 38-member medical team and 15 Desuups (civilians trained in disaster relief operations), as well as a seven-member logistics team to assist logistics for the team’s stay in Kathmandu

 

 

 

 

Japan’s rescue team boarding their plane in Narita Airport.

 

As Nepal enters Day Three of the post-earthquake period, electricity has only just been restored to Kathmandu City. There are shortages of clean drinking water.

 

People queue up to receive drinking water. As time passes and drinking water supplies are not restored, fears of a cholera outbreak are growing.

 

People sleep as they wait outside the departure terminal at Tribhuvan International Airport.

 

Nepalis in the cities are using any and all means to try and get back to their villages.

 

Drone image of Bhaktapur which, being a centre of ancient Nepali architecture, was badly affected by the quake.

 

Drone image of Basantapur.

 

Drone image of Dharahara, now reduced to a stump.

 

Drone image of Swayambu.

 

Police and military presence in the cities is obvious.

 

Since the earthquake struck on Saturday, the Nepali authorities have been working around the clock to rescue survivors and recover bodies.

 

Nepali police in Tribhuvan International Airport work to keep the crowd under control. Flights leaving the country are few and far between as huge delays are being caused by heavy air traffic, as Nepal continues to receive aid from around the world.

 

The cities’ narrow streets are difficult for the heavier machinery to navigate. As a result, much of the debris management and clearance has to be done by hand.

 

In Bhaktapur, a rescue worker digs to remove the trapped body of a woman under a collapsed house. Much of the rescue and recovery work is being done without modern technology.

 

At Trishuli Bazar, rescuers carry the injured and elderly to waiting Indian airforce helicopters as they evacuate victims of Saturdays earthquake to Kathmandu. Rescue workers are still struggling to reach vulnerable mountain villages, which are now inaccessible due to roads being blocked by rock and landslides triggered by the quake. As a result, the death toll is expected to rise.

 

Victims are cremated alongside a river.

 

A family prepares to cremate the body of a loved one.

 

Germany’s search and rescue teams, accompanied by sniffer dogs specially trained to locate bodies in the rubble, departed yesterday.

 

April 28, 2015 @ 7:18pm (GMT 8+)

• Nine out of 10 Nepalese troops are said to be involved in the rescue efforts. About 90,000 personnel (of approximately 100,000) from the army and police have joined the quake effort.
• Some 200 climbers stranded by the quake on Mount Everest are slowly being rescued. Because of the high altitude, the choppers can only ferry two people at a time. Up till now, about 60 of the climbers have been brought to safety.
• The official death toll has reached 4,585. Approximately 8,235 are injured. (Source: Home Ministry)
• 1,441 of the fatalities and 4,900 of the injured were from Kathmandu Valley.
• Prime Minister says the death toll could reach 10,000.
• Another 1,180 were from the district of Sindulpalchuk, east of the Nepalese capital.

• Eastern Region: 51 killed and 212 injured
• Central Region: 2727 killed and 2757 injured
• Western Region: 264 killed and 350 injured.

• Up to 8 million (more than quarter of population) have been affected by the earthquake. (Source: United Nations)
• 1.4 million people are in need of food aid.
• Over 100 aftershocks in the last 72 hours. Two were over 6 on the Richter scale and 96 were over 4 on the Richter scale.
• Number of tremors and their intensity has gone down.
• In India, 85 people were killed by the earthquake. China reported 25 people died in Tibet.
• Sunday’s aftershock near Kathmandu resulted in an evacuation of airport officials. When a Thai Airways plane attempted to land in Nepal shortly after, the pilot learned the air traffic control tower was completely unoccupied.
• Growing fears that there will be an outbreak of diseases like cholera and diarrhea due to lack of sanitation.
• Homelessness is a growing problem. In Kavre district, for example, they have a population of 380,000. Not more than 250 were killed and around 900 were injured, but about 100,000 people had lost their homes.
• In Bhaktapur, around 30,000 are thought to be homeless.
• Villages near the epicenter are desperate for help. Rescuers have still been unable to reach them. Helicopters are struggling to conduct surveillance flights around mountain villages because of heavy cloud cover. Reports are coming in stating some villages in the Gorkha area are 90% to totally destroyed.
• Rescuers are succumbing to exhaustion, due to three straight nights of frantic searching. They have been forced to use their bare hands, with no protective gear or heat detectors while searching for survivors in the ruins of Dharahara Tower.
• Authorities are reporting that in some cases, entire families are buried under the rubble. They come to this conclusion because no one is left alive to report them missing.
• National flag will be flown at half-mast for next three days
• Five of Nepal’s eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites crumbled to the ground in Saturday’s earthquake. (Source: National Geographic).
• Mass cremation of bodies has begun. As all the bodies could not be accommodated at the Arya and Rajrajeshwori cremation sites, the rest are being cremated at the banks of the Bagmati River.
• Pashupati is now burning bodies 24 hours a day, hundreds of bodies at a time. On a normal day, they cremate 20-30 bodies a day. In the last three days, they have cremated 1200 bodies, and are running low on timber for cremations. The only light from Kathmandu at night is from that area.
• Canada: offers US$5 million (RM17.7mil) to humanitarian organizations for relief efforts
• United Nations: to start their support program today.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): to send 11,000 plastic sheets and 4,000 solar lanterns from its warehouse in Damak, eastern Nepal, to the eastern hilly districts of Ramechhap, Okhaldhunga and Sindhuli
• Golden Temple in Delhi: to send 1 Lakh donations, and the Delhi Gurdwaras to send meals for 25,000 people daily.

An infographic of the various countries donating aid and assistance.

 

The scene at Tundhikel, where survivors remain three days after the quake, away from collapsing buildings.

 

Finally some sunshine after a long, cold night. Weather forecasts predict more rain.

 

90% of Nepali troops and police have been deployed for the search and rescue efforts.

 

These unsung heroes have been working without break for the last 72 hours.

 

The Bhutanese rescue team.

 

The USAID team en route to Nepal.

 

The USAID team have arrived in Nepal.

 

The USAID team unloading supplies at the American embassy in Kathmandu.

 

 

69 members of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team await takeoff on a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. The specially trained team and approximately 70,000 pounds of their supplies are currently en route to Nepal.

 

Some of the supplies being loaded on the C-17.

 

Members of the Nepal Police and volunteers dig a body out of the rubble.

 

Almost the entire Royal Nepal Army and Nepal Police have been deployed.

 

An aid worker comforts a child. UNICEF estimates up to 1 million children have been affected by this earthquake.

 

Still smiling despite spending a third night outdoors, in the cold and rain.

 

A woman prays in a temple that has been nearly destroyed.

 

The scene in Sindhu Palanchowk. Aid workers face an uphill task recovering bodies and rescuing survivors and long after they are gone, the Nepalis will have to rebuild their lives from these ruins.

 

Pashupati is burning hundreds of bodies at a time, 24 hours a day and they are running low on timber for cremations.

 

The team from India. Since news of the quake broke, India was one of the first to respond with aid and troops, and has been mobilising them ever since.

 

To date, India has sent hundreds of tonnes of supplies, including much-needed clean drinking water.

 

 

 

 

 

Indian citizens are evacuated from Nepal via military aircraft which arrived in Kathmandu carrying supplies.

 

Wounded Indians arrive home for treatment.

Scenes are beginning to emerge of monks and nuns assisting in rescue and recovery efforts as everyone lends a hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 29, 2015 @ 5:04am (GMT 8+)

• Official death toll in Nepal alone stands at 5,057. Approximately 10,915 are injured and 454,769 have been reported as internally displaced. (Source: Ministry of Home Affairs)
• Pakistani airforce crew hoping to land in Tribhuvan Airport were delayed when an aftershock forced air traffic control to evacuate their positions.
• Nepal has told aid agencies it does not need more foreign rescue teams to help in the search for earthquake survivors, because its government and military could cope, the national head of the United Nations Development Programme said. If they are already en route, they will be accepted but if they have not yet departed, they have been asked not to come.
• 300,000 Tibetans in Tibet have been affected. (Source: Tagesanzeiger, Swiss paper) The earthquake toppled 1,206 houses, badly damaged 9,974 homes and damaged 54 temples.
• Bhutanese medical and rescue team have reached Nuwakot which is almost 77km from Kathmandu where there is no telecommunication.

Click to enlarge the image which shows the extent of building damage in Kathmandu.

 

A member of the German search and rescue team searches for potential survivors.

 

A boy cycles past a collapsed house in Kathmandu.

 

The earthquake wiped out entire villages, such as this one in the Gorkha area.

 

Walking through the ruins in Paslang.

 

 

Survivors queue for food in Kathmandu. With hundreds of thousands of displaced people, and at least 1.4 million people in need of food aid, shortages are anticipated.

 

 

A young monk cleans up the debris at a temple in Swayambunath.

 

Cremation fires burn day and night. Fears of disease are growing as the death toll continues to increase.

 

Spanish rescue workers search the ruins with their specially trained sniffer dog.

 

Members of the Royal Nepal Army help to unload relief supplies from USAID.

 

Rescue personnel from India speak with a survivor of the earthquake.

 

Survivors being treated in a mobile hospital set up by the Indian army.

 

Injured survivors are loaded into a helicopter to be airlifted for treatment.

 

 

Everyone helps to unload more supplies from India. Since the earthquake on Saturday, India has not stopped sending aid and rescue personnel.

 

 

 

 

Members of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) arrive in Tribhuvan Airport equipped to assist in the search and rescue efforts.

 

Within 24 hours of arriving in Nepal, the Chinese rescue team located a second survivor.

 

In Shigatse (Tibetan Autonomous Region, China), the Chinese army have been working hard to distribute supplies to the hardest hit.

 

The Chinese army unloads tents to be set up for those displaced by the earthquake.

 

 

Locals assist the army in setting up the tents.

 

 

With buildings collapsed or near-collapse, the tents will prove to be very useful.

 

Injured residents in Shigatse receive treatment from field doctors.

 

 

More than 80 hours after the earthquake struck, French rescuers free a man who was buried under the rubble of a collapsed guest house.

 

April 30, 2015 @ 8:04am (GMT 8+)

• The official death toll is now 5,266. Of this figure, 1,477 were killed in Kathmandu Valley alone, and 2,443 people were injured.

• Sindhupalchowk: 1,376 dead.
• Eastern Region: 51 killed and 261 injured.
• Central Region: 3322 killed and 3715 injured.
• Western Region: 414 killed and 1,166 injured. Of this, 405 are from Gorkha.

• About 210 foreign trekkers who were stranded in Langtang, north of Kathmandu, are reported to have been airlifted to the nearby town of Dhunche
• Concern continues to grow for people in the rural areas. Even with roads, some villages take anywhere from several hours up to a day to reach. Now, many of these roads are closed due to land and rockslides.
• It has been reported that in some of the villages, salvage operations are being carried out mainly by women as their able-bodied men left in search of employment elsewhere. The lack of able-bodied men will have also hampered relief efforts immediately after the earthquake.
• Aid is starting to arrive in the hardest-hit areas close to the epicentre of Saturday’s quake, but people in different parts of the country still deprived of relief materials.
• Villages within 90 minutes of Kathmandu continue to report that they have not yet seen government aid or rescue teams.
• Many Nepali climbers are still stranded in Luklha because foreign rescue teams are giving first priority to their citizens
• Over 339,000 people have left Kathmandu since the earthquake, to try and return to check on the condition of their villages. Many are leaving to escape the threat of aftershocks, lawlessness and disease, fears of which are growing due to the dead bodies throughout Kathmandu.
• Aftershocks continue to decrease in frequency and intensity.
• With some rumours of looting, Nepal police have beefed up security in earthquake-affected zones to deter would-be looters.
• Frustration is growing over the perceived slowness of distribution in relief materials.
• Nepalis in the capital clashed with riot police and seized supplies of water as anger boiled over after buses promised by the government failed to materialise.
• Experts say that the earthquake may have shifted the ground beneath Kathmandu about three metres (10 feet) southward.
• United States: pledged US$10mil (RM35.4mil) in relief assistance.
• India: helped evacuate 170 nationals from 15 countries. 71 of them were from Spain, which had on Monday asked India for help to evacuate its citizens. The remaining come mostly from Poland, the Czech Republic, the US, the UK, Germany and France.
• Taiwan: a 37-member group from Taiwan has arrived to join the post-quake relief mission in Nepal. The group consists of aid workers and medical professionals from Taiwan’s Red Cross Society, International Search and Rescue Operations Taiwan, the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) and Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
• United Kingdom: the Gurkha Welfare Trust which looks after veterans in Nepal, has mobilised medical teams and staff to try to get a better picture of the devastation in more remote valleys. Three Gurkha initial response teams have been dispatched from Kathmandu to get much needed aid and medical help to Gorkha, Lamjung and Bagmati. Each team includes additional Welfare officers, doctors, nurses, porters and drivers. A team of British Army Gurkha soldiers left the UK earlier this week, and are due to arrive in Nepal. The men from the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers flew out of RAF Brize Norton aboard a C-17, taking with them some 30 tonnes of aid supplies.
• China: A 59-man medical team left Kunming City, China’s Southwest Yunnan Province, for Nepal on Wednesday afternoon to join relief efforts. It was the second government medical team sent by China to Nepal after the massive earthquake on Saturday. The group includes experts in public hygiene, infectious diseases, traumatology, orthopaedics and emergency treatment, all from Yunnan Province. The Chinese government has offered ‪Nepal‬ emergency supplies worth 20 million yuan (RM11.7mil / US$3.3mil), including 1600 tents, 10,000 blankets and 327 generators. These supplies were shipped from Nanjing Lukou Airport to Nepal in the early morning of April 28.
• The United Nations (UN) and her partner organizations have appealed for US$415mil (RM1.4bil) to fund vital relief programs.

The aftershocks have decreased in both frequency and intensity over the last 72 hours.

 

A four month-old boy is rescued from the rubble after 20 hours. This image has become a symbol of hope for Nepalis who continue to search for their loved ones. After his parents reported him missing, rescuers searched for him but to no avail and gave him up for dead. Hours later, he started to cry so they went back for a second look and found a small bundle covered in dust amongst the debris.

 

Scenes from the border between Nepal and Tibet.

 

 

 

 

Five days after the quake, road congestion is still a common sight with many roads remaining blocked due to rock and landslides triggered by the earthquake.

 

In Shigatse, the Chinese army have been working tirelessly to deliver aid and medical assistance to the people.

 

 

In the background, blue- and green-topped tents for those affected by the earthquake can be seen.

 

 

 

With electricity slowly being restored to Kathmandu (which even before the quake suffered from frequent black-outs), residents take every opportunity to charge their phones.

 

Mass cremations continue in Kathmandu.

 

Taken at Kalanki, bus and trucks are only moving in one direction – out of Kathmandu.

 

The road outside Tribhuvan Airport, Kathmandu has caved in and is in bad condition.

 

Earthquake damage to Boudhanath Stupa is visible.

 

An emergency wing is moved outdoors. According to the security guard, the generator broke down so the hospital is running on the generators of local shops on Kalanki Road.

 

As Nepal enters Day 5 of their post-earthquake period, many residents of Kathmandu continue to stay outdoors. With their homes near-collapse, many have nowhere else to go.

 

Efforts are being broadened to include Gorkha, one of the hardest-hit districts. Three Gurkha initial response teams have been dispatched from Kathmandu to get much needed aid and medical help to Gorkha, Lamjung and Bagmati.

 

Information from rural areas most hard-hit by the earthquake has been slow to come, with surveillance flights hampered by weather. What little information that has come in shows widespread devastation.

 

Kathmandu residents clash with police over perceived slowness of distribution of relief supplies.

 

 

Soldiers from the Royal Nepal Army clearing rubble from a destroyed structure as they continue with search and recovery operations near Bhaktapur.

 

Nepali and Indian rescue teams remove a body from the collapsed Sitapyla Church in Kathmandu.

 

 

Aid from Sri Lanka being loaded into another flight bound for Kathmandu. Aftershocks have delayed the arrival of more rescue workers and relief supplies.

 

A staff member at the German Red Cross in their logistics warehouse.

 

A relief team from Germany arrives at Tribhuvan Airport.

 

Members of India’s National Disaster Response Force look for survivors in Kathmandu.

 

Indian and Nepali forces work together to move an injured survivor.

 

The rescue team from the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) move an injured survivor.

 

 

In Kathmandu, members of China’s international search and rescue team take a rest amid the rubble.

 

 

More aid continues to arrive from China.

 

Another relief team from China arrives.

 

 

A 59-member medical team left Kunming City, China’s Southwest Yunnan Province, for Nepal on Wednesday afternoon to join relief efforts.

 

It was the second government medical team sent by China to Nepal after the massive earthquake on Saturday. The group includes experts in public hygiene, infectious diseases, traumatology, orthopaedics and emergency treatment, all from Yunnan Province.

 

 

The Chinese government has offered ‪Nepal‬ emergency supplies worth 20 million yuan (RM11.7mil / US$3.3mil), including 1600 tents, 10,000 blankets and 327 generators.

 

These supplies were shipped from Nanjing Lukou Airport to Nepal in the early morning of April 28.

 

April 30, 2015 @ 9:45pm (GMT 8+)

• Official death toll is now at 5,630 in Nepal alone (Source: Associated Press). A further 11,440 are reported injured.
• In Kathmandu Valley alone, 1,552 were killed and 2,574 are reported injured (the rest have been discharged).

• Sindhupalchowk: 1,677 dead
• Eastern Region: 52 killed and 260 injured.
• Central Region: 3,639 killed and 3,857 injured.
• Western Region: 415 killed (Gorkha: 405) and 1,167 injured.

• 15-year old boy rescued by the Royal Nepal Army after 120 hours. Rescue operations took six hours and rescuers erupted into celebrations once the teenager was freed.
• 11-year old girl rescued from Bhaktapur after 90 hours.
• EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management to arrive in Nepal today.
• A task force has been formed to assess infrastructure damage.
• Relief materials are now being distributed in Langtang region.
• All educational institutions in 11 districts affected by the earthquake to remain closed.
• 600,000 valley residents leave the capital for home districts.
• A total of 54 international teams from 29 different countries are supporting the rescue operations. At least 1,719 personnel with 147 specially trained sniffer dogs have been deployed.
• Government appeals everyone not to disseminate information that lowers the morale of people working continuously for the rescue and rehabilitation of the deadly earthquake victims.
• A total of 101 aftershocks above 4 on the Richter scale have been recorded since Saturday.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/nepal-earthquake-pema.mp4

Footage of Pema Lama’s rescue in Kathmandu five days after the earthquake struck.

 

Pema Lama was pulled from the wreckage of a collapsed hotel in Kathmandu five days after the earthquake struck.

 

Rescuers took six hours to reach him.

 

Celebrations erupted amongst rescuers and hundreds of gathered locals after Pema Lama was freed.

 

Click the image above to enlarge.

 

Click the image above to enlarge (Source: UNOCHA).

 

Click the image above to enlarge (Source: UNOCHA).

 

Click the image above to enlarge (Source: UNOCHA).

 

Residents wait outdoors in Ason Tole Bazaar, Kathmandu.

 

Residents rest in silence in the Ason Tole neighbourhood.

 

With a lack of clean running water, earthquake survivors are reliant on government and relief supplies.

 

Those affected by the quake wait for food in Kathmandu.

 

An aerial view of Kathmandu. Makeshift tents hastily erected by the residents can be seen in the bottom right of the photo.

 

The devastation at Hanuman Dhoka Palace, which was built in the 16th century.

 

Rescuers from the Nepal Police dig through the rubble in Kathmandu.

 

Members of the Royal Nepal Army and Nepal Police rush a body away.

 

Cremation fires continue to burn in Pashupati as residents help to transport logs for more funeral pyres.

 

Further afield, outside of Kathmandu in Thame, residents survey the destruction.

 

Government aid has to been slow to arrive here. Meanwhile residents begin the long task of salvaging whatever belongings they can from the wreckage.

 

The residents of Thame are fortunate in that they still have access to clean running water due to local rivers.

 

A cremation taking place of a earthquake victim.

 

Monks conduct funeral rites for an earthquake victim from Yelajung.

 

Residents are having to make do with what they have. A makeshift kitchen has been set up here.

 

The destruction in downtown Thame is obvious.

 

An 11-year old girl in Bhaktapur is rescued by the Royal Nepal Army 90 hours after the earthquake struck.

 

Damage to the Kadhampa Monastery.

 

 

 

Although still standing, the building’s framework was exposed during the earthquake.

 

 

Young monks at the Kadhampa Monastery is still living outside as the structural integrating of the building has not yet been confirmed.

 

 

 

Gaps where tiles fell off during the earthquake.

 

 

Inside the monks’ quarters, large cracks can be seen everywhere.

 

The local monastic community are active in relief operations. Not only are they coordinating and distributing supplies, but they are also helping to clear the rubble and search for bodies and survivors.

 

 

 

Monks helping to clear debris and rubble.

 

 

Monks assisting in the clean-up of the area.

 

 

 

 

May 1, 2015 @ 6:15am (GMT 8+)

• Official death toll is now at 6,155 in Nepal alone. A further 13,827 are reported injured. (Source: BBC)
• In Kathmandu Valley alone, 1,523 people were killed and 5,212 were injured.

• Sindhupalchowk: 1,820 dead.
• Eastern Region: 52 killed and 260 injured.
• Central Region: 3,833 killed and 4,206 injured.
• Western Region: 415 killed and 1,167 injured.

• The government has formed a trust for reconstruction of the physical infrastructure that collapsed in the earthquake.
• The Nepali Cabinet has allocated NPR20 billion (RM702.5mil / US$196.8mil) for reconstruction funds and aims to collect NPR200 billion (RM7.03bil / US$1.97bil).
• The next-of-kin of the deceased will receive NPR140,000 (RM4,900 / US$1,377) as a cash relief for funeral and other expenses.
• Survivors are starting to fall ill due to living in the open and drinking contaminated water. A doctor at Kathmandu’s Bir Hospital said that since Wednesday morning, at least 1,200 people with water-borne illnesses have been admitted.
• The earthquake raised Kathmandu’s elevation above sea level by as much as 3-feet, while lowering Mount Everest’s height by about 1-inch.
• The United Nations World Food Program has been able to reach the more rural areas of Nepal and aid has finally started to arrive in the mountainous Gorkha District, near the epicentre of Saturday’s quake. Helicopters brought food, temporary shelter and other aid to hamlets in this area north of Kathmandu.
• In the village of Gumda, the death toll was low (only five people were killed and 20 were injured among 1,300 residents) but the majority had lost their homes. All were in desperate need of temporary shelter and food. 40kg sacks of rice were delivered to them on Wednesday.
• Frustration is growing amongst international aid workers over the lack of on-ground coordination. In some cases, aid teams have not been told where to go or whom to work with. In other cases, planes continue to wait to land in Tribhuvan Airport. Those which are able to land, are still waiting to be unloaded and relief supplies which have been unloaded, have not yet been distributed.
• In some cases, aid workers are relying on the locals for information on where to go and what is needed.

An infographic displaying the distribution of deaths throughout the affected areas in Nepal. The number is expected to rise as accurate reports have not yet come in from the more remote and rural areas.

 

Monks continue to play a visible role in the rescue and recovery efforts.

 

 

 

Various NGOs around Nepal have been involved in distributing relief supplies.

 

For example, the Namaste Community Foundation team has prepared Emergency Aid Packages (tent, sleeping mat, umbrella, soap, torch, biscuits, noodles, medicines, rice, clothes, sanitary pads, water, etc.).

 

They will work with the local government to provide these packages to around 100 earthquake victims in the Gorkha district.

 

 

Survivors wait to receive relief supplies.

 

In the rural areas where houses were made of little more than mud and brick, the earthquake devastated and wiped out entire villages.

 

 

The international community continues to rally to send aid, relief supplies and medical services to Nepal.

 

Pakistani army doctors treating injured Nepalis.

 

 

 

China’s Blue Sky Rescue team look for survivors in Sankhu on the outskirts of Kathmandu on Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

As Nepalis continue to recover from the earthquake, some NGOs have started operations to assist the stray animals also affected by the earthquake.

 

 

 

May 2, 2015 @ 5:45am (GMT 8+)

• The official death toll currently stands at 6,621. Approximately 14,040 people have been reported as injured. (Source: Nepal Police)
• A European Union official said 12 people from Europe were killed and about 1,000 people are still unaccounted for and had not reached out to their embassies since the earthquake struck.
• Today was the busiest day so far recorded in Tribhuvan Airport (447 international flights per day).
• Except from Bhutan and the Asian Development Bank, none of the funds pledged by the international community has been received so far. (Source: Finance Ministry)
• The United Nations and European Union has appealed to the international community to continue their support.
• The Prime Minister has directed the Royal Nepal Army to expedite the delivery of relief supplies.
• Over NPR150mil (RM5.3mil / US$1.47mil) has been deposited in the Nepali Prime Minister’s relief account so far.
• The government has made it mandatory to deposit all funds collected by new organisations to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. Donations can also be made online.
• The Nepali government has set up a portal for all information regarding the earthquake: http://nitc.gov.np/eq/
• Engineers have been deployed to assess the damaged properties. Meanwhile thousands of displaced people wait to go back into their homes.
• Members of the constituent assembly participated in a cleaning campaign in different parts of the city.
• The government has formed a trust for reconstruction of the physical infrastructure that collapsed in the earthquake. They predict they will need at least US$2bil.
• The United Nations has revised their initial figures, and now says 8 million people have been affected, with at least 2 million in need of tents, water, food and medicines over the next three months.
• In the past 48 hours, UNICEF has delivered nearly 30 metric tonnes of supplies, including tents, water purification tablets, and first aid and hygiene kits.
• Nepal appealed to international donors on Friday to send more tents and tarpaulins, along with grain, salt and sugar.
• Information Minister Minedra Risal said Nepal immediately needs 400,000 tents but so far has only been able to provide 29,000 to people in need.
• China: so far, the Chinese government has provided two batches of humanitarian aid worth 60 million yuan (RM34.7mil / US$9.67 million) to Nepal, sent a 62-member rescue team and a 59-member medical team. They have also sent four planes and intend to send an additional 170 soldiers. As of Thursday April 30, almost 404,000 Chinese netizens had donated 25.3 million RMB (RM14.6 mil / US$4.08 million) through various online donation portals.
• India: dubbed their rescue efforts ‘Operation Friendship’. They have sent the most help so far, deploying 13 aircraft and more than 500 rescuers as well as water, food, equipment and medical supplies. The National Highway Authority of India has undertaken the repair work of the dilapidated National Highway-28 between Motihari and Raxaul, bordering Nepal, to aid in relief efforts.
• Pakistan: has sent four cargo planes full of supplies, including concrete cutters and sniffer dogs.
• Many Indian doctors have arrived in Nepal independent of any NGO. Due to the lack of coordination and no information regarding the ground situation, they have not yet been deployed. The doctors are also facing difficulties due to a lack of knowledge of the local languages such as Newari, Nepali and Tamang.
• NGOs have therefore stepped in to coordinate many of these relief efforts. A team of well-trained doctors carrying important equipment with them will be travelling to Chautara and Tipini in the Sindhupalchok district tomorrow with 20 other Nepali medical staff. They will be the first medical team in Tipini, and their arrival will help relieve some of the pressure that the current medical team in Chautara is facing.
• NGOs are also making their own disaster relief packages containing tarp / tents, blankets, food, hand sanitiser, water purification tablets and solar-powered torches.

Infographic detailing facts about the earthquake which struck on Saturday, April 25.

 

It took five hours to totally unload the relief supplies in this cargo plane.

 

Singapore Air Force plane.

 

China Air Force plane.

 

American Air Force plane.

 

Australian Air Force plane.

 

Queuing for clean drinking water in Chautara.

 

With over a quarter of a million homes destroyed, and thousands more still unsafe for habitation, tents remain one of the most needed relief items.

 

With a shortage of tarps and tents, any plastic available is being employed to provide shelter.

 

Local NGOs working with the army in Chautara to coordinate future relief trips.

 

Local NGOs working with the locals in Chautara to coordinate future relief trips.

 

Due to the poorly constructed nature of many buildings, this is a common sight in the rural areas of Nepal.

 

Local NGOs dividing relief items to be distributed to the hardest hit areas.

 

 

 

Hospitals continue to struggle to tend to the injured.

 

Cremation fires continue to burn non-stop by the Bagmati River at Pashupati Aryaghat.

 

Tibet Public Security Frontier Corps soldiers walked into the town of Zhangmu. More than 4,250 people have been placed in eight settlements around Zhangmu after going without a roof over their heads for 70 hours. (Photos: CFP)

 

 

Infographic detailing the aid given by India to Nepal.

 

May 3, 2015 @ 6:15am (GMT 8+)

• Official death toll is now at 7,040 in Nepal alone. A further 14,025 are reported injured. (Source: NBC News)
• Most of the people in Kathmandu have moved back into their houses.
• Nepal Army says it is satisfied with coordination of foreign rescue teams.
• Government to grant NPR900,000 (RM31,691 / US$8,819) each to quake-affected Village Development Committees.
• Facebook has raised more than US$10mil (RM35.9mil) for earthquake victims so far.
• Supreme court to resume its work from a temporary office.
• Complaints that relief supplies are sitting on the tarmac in Tribhuvan Airport and it is taking a long time to distribute them. Authorities say it is due to damaged roads; NGOs warn that the supplies have to be distributed so the tarmac is not blocked and delaying air traffic.
• There is a bottleneck of relief supplies leaving the airport as well, due to customs checks.
• Nepali authorities have received unneeded items like tuna and mayonnaise. They have asked donors to send items the victims will use and need.

People clamour for relief supplies as the Nepali government is accused of being slow to distribute aid.

 

 

As Nepal enters its first week after the earthquake, hope of survivors fades and the long, slow clean-up process begins.

 

 

A woman sits amid what is left of her home.

 

 

 

NGOs like Lama Gangchen Help in Action continue to play a crucial role in the delivery of relief supplies and aid to those who have not yet received government support.

 

 

Everyone, young and old, are stepping in to lend a helping hand.

 

As relief supplies arrive, NGOs are having to organise and sort out the donations. They have appealed for donors to send only what is necessary and will be used by the local population, taking into consideration cultural sensitivities and preferences.

 

These pictures were taken in the Tsum Valley. There eight villages here which are totally cut off from the rest of Nepal.

 

89% of the homes here are now uninhabitable due to earthquake damage, and their temple is destroyed.

 

According to the person who visited via helicopter, he spoke to the villagers who confirmed that government help has not reached them yet.

 

 

 

The Nepali people are coming together to help one another. Extra supplies are being distributed amongst neighbours who have less.

 

 

 

Much-needed medicines have arrived in Tribhuvan Airport amidst accusations they are not being distributed to the needy.

 

 

 

In Shigatse, the Chinese army continue to distribute supplies and set up tents as temporary accommodation for those affected by the quake.

 

Local residents queue to receive their share of the relief supplies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An RAF Odiham CH47 Chinook left RAF Brize Norton on an Antonov aircraft bound for Nepal.

 

The UK government is sending three Chinooks and providing funding for additional UN helicopters to assist the response to the recent earthquake in Nepal.

 

The Chinese search and rescue teams continue to play a crucial role in the earthquake relief efforts.

 

 

Much of the work continues to be done by hand.

 

Relief workers pay their respect to a victim.

 

 

A body is sprayed with disinfectant to prevent the spread of disease before being transported for cremation.

 

In Arugat Village in the Gorkha district, the Royal Nepal Army try to salvage supplies from the rubble.

 

In Phalame Village in Khabra district. All 150 homes in this area were levelled. 72-year old Sundaya Tamang whispers to her cow Lakshmi as she lies buried in her cowshed unable to be rescued. Sudaya comforted her as she breathed her last. Sundaya and her family lost three houses to this earthquake. “Lakshmi used to give my household seven liters of milk, she was our sustenance.”

 

May 4, 2015 @ 5:05am (GMT 8+)

• Official death toll is now over 7,250 in Nepal alone. Over 15,000 are reported injured. (Source: The Guardian)
• The death toll in the Sindhupalchowk district alone stands at 2,560 (compared with approximately 1,622 in Kathmandu). The UN says up to 90% of houses in Sindhupalchowk have been destroyed.
• In the northern Rasuwa district, a Nepalese police team has retrieved the bodies of about 50 people, including some foreign trekkers, from an area hit by landslides.
• Despite ruling out further survivors on Saturday, today a 101-year old man was rescued from the rubble of his home seven days after the earthquake. He suffered only minor injuries.
• Nepal Police also rescued three women from beneath rubble on Sunday in Sindhupalchowk, one of the districts worst hit by the quake, although it was not immediately known how long they had been trapped.
• Another two men and a woman were pulled from the rubble near Syauli village earlier this week, though it is not immediately clear which day they were rescued.
• A total of 54 foreign nationals have been killed, including 38 Indians, three Americans, one Briton and one French citizen.
• Chief of the Tourism Department estimates the death toll of foreigners will increase; in Langtang Valley which is completely wiped away, at least 109 foreigners are missing.
• Tribhuvan Airport has banned airliner jets weighing more than 196 tonnes because its runway is deteriorating under the strain. The airport only has parking space for nine jets, and reports are emerging of cracks on the runway.
• More than 4,000 foreigners from 34 countries have flown in to assist with search and rescue operations.
• The Home Affairs Ministry says they are now sending back foreign specialist search teams as “there are no pressures of rescuing now” (Source: The Guardian).
• Outside Kathmandu, search and rescue work has largely been carried out by local police and troops.
• Assessments of 2,500 buildings carried out by more than 1,000 local engineers during the last four days have revealed that a fifth of the buildings in Kathmandu are no longer habitable.
• Three-quarters need repairs before they can be considered safe. The engineers took a random sample so as to make it representative of the city as a whole. Their results are still pending a full and thorough final assessment.
• In Sindhulpalchowk District, Gorkha District, Dolakha District and Sindhuli District, local officials say they have met less than 20% of the demand of the people in terms of relief aid. They are facing difficulties reaching affected areas due to a lack of vehicles and helicopters.
• Residents continue to complain of aid being slow to reach them, especially in the most remote villages which were already difficult to access before the quake.
• There is nowhere near enough helicopters to distribute the amount of aid necessary in the remote areas. Nepal is appealing to foreign governments for more helicopters. There are currently about 20 Nepalese army, private and Indian army helicopters involved in rescue operations. (Source: Home Affairs Ministry)
• In Pauwathok Village in Sidhulpalchowk District, residents continue to stay under makeshift shelters made of tarpaulins. These were obtained only after residents sat in the middle of the road Friday and blocked an aid convoy that eventually gave 30 to them.
• As a result, volunteers have begun stepping in to fill the void. Over the weekend, a truck full of rice, noodles and medical supplies arrived at Pauwathok. It had been organised by a teacher who went for help to Kathmandu, where he collected donations from charities and friends.
• On the road to Chautara, the district centre of Sindhupalchowk, many pick-up trucks, private cars and even motorbikes were loaded with basic foodstuffs, blankets, clothes and bedding rolls. Local shopkeepers across the worst affected areas say they have been giving away their stocks on credit, though it was unlikely they will ever be repaid by farmers whose valuables and livestock lay under tonnes of rubble.
• In Swarathok Village, Rashmiti Shashtra, a 23-year old public health student, organised the cremation and after-quake care of her village. After holding funerals on Monday, the 83 householders started organising. Shashtra made a list of survivors and convinced them to pool scant food stocks they had salvaged from their wrecked home, worked out how much each household could have each day, and distributed vital remaining kitchen utensils.

At Pauwathok Village in Sindhupalchowk district, the villagers have yet to see government aid.

 

This 101-year old man was rescued today one week after the earthquake. He suffered only minor injuries.

 

Residents in Laprak Village in Gorka District stay under makeshift tents one week after the quake.

 

Volunteers unload relief supplies in Asslang Village in Gorkha District. Volunteers have played a crucial role in the aftermath of the earthquake in distributing supplies to the more remote affected areas.

 

Local volunteers in Kathmandu take to sprinkling calcium bicarbonate throughout their neighbourhoods, as part of ongoing campaigns to clean up Kathmandu.

 

Volunteers repack lentils, potatoes, rice, juice and water to be distributed to victims.

 

 

Amid claims that relief supplies are going unclaimed in Tribhuvan Airport, NGOs have used social media to appeal to international donors to ensure everything donated has a recipient before it is shipped to Kathmandu to prevent such piles of unclaimed items.

 

 

Loading relief supplies for Liding Village in Gorkha District.

 

The Nepali government has appealed to the international community for more helicopters, saying that they do not have enough to distribute the necessary supplies to the more remote regions.

 

 

Grateful villagers help to unload the relief supplies to be distributed amongst the survivors.

 

 

 

The clean-up of the cities is now beginning.

 

It will be a painstakingly long process to rebuild Kathmandu but slowly people are starting to get back to normal life.

 

A doctor from the Thai Army treating injured earthquake victims.

 

Royal Nepal Army soldiers unload aid collected by people from Sikkim, India.

 

Members of the Royal Nepal Army load a helicopter with relief supplies to be transported to affected villages.

 

USAID are working with Save the Children to distribute thousands of plastic sheeting flown in from the US.

 

Villagers queue to receive plastic sheeting to reinforce their makeshift shelters.

 

At the Chinese government treatment camp, survivors continue to receive care from the Chinese medical and rescue teams.

 

 

 

 

 

60 soldiers from the Chinese army’s anti-chemical regiment have been deployed to Nepal for epidemic prevention.

 

China’s armed police officers of traffic rescue left southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region and entered Nepal for the first time on Sunday to aid earthquake relief there. 160 armed police officers and 56 units of engineering machinery were deployed across the Friendship Bridge that links the two countries. Their first mission is to reopen the road connecting the border pass of Zham and Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital.

 

May 5, 2015 @ 7:15am (GMT 8+)

• The official death toll currently stands at 7,484 while the number of injured is approximately 14,371.
• At least nine aftershocks were recorded on Monday.
• The Asian Development Bank has pledged US$200mil (RM719.4mil) for reconstruction works.
• Nepali Prime Minister visited Sindhupalchowk, the most affected district of the 35 hit by the earthquake.
• 16 inmates of the central jail dead during the earthquake.
• 52 dead bodies have been found in Langtang valley where scores of Nepali and foreign trekkers went missing in an avalanche following the earthquake.
• Over the last week, some 350 people were also rescued alive from Langtang valley. Nepali authorities say that no additional people are thought to require rescuing, and they are focusing the search effort on people reported missing.
• European officials say 60 EU citizens remain unaccounted for, down from the 1,000 estimated by an official last week.

A man walks over some rubble and past a crushed car in Langtang National Park.

 

Villagers camp outside at Laprak Village in the Gorkha District.

 

Aerial surveys done over the Gorkha and Dhading districts show just how widespread the devastation was.

 

 

 

 

The international Buddhist NGO Tzu Chi has sent their disaster relief team to assist in the rescue and relief efforts.

 

 

 

 

A lorry full of relief supplies is moved along with the help of the locals in Mucchok Village in the Gorkha District.

 

 

 

 

Because of the state of the roads in Sindurji Village in the Sindhupalchowk district, relief supplies had to be walked in.

 

 

As the United Nations presses Nepal’s government to relax their customs regulations, aid continues to pile up on the tarmac of Tribhuvan Airport.

 

Local volunteers distributing face masks to the hardworking Nepal Police who have been working since the earthquake struck on April 25.

 

 

Local volunteers have been instrumental in getting relief supplies out to remote villages since the earthquake struck.

 

Members from the Korean NGO Human in Love and the search and rescue team from Oman pay their last respects to an earthquake victim in Balaju.

 

 

Members of the Korean search and rescue team addressing their reluctance to dismantle a building in case there may be more bodies inside.

 

Members of the Korean search and rescue team spraying disinfectant on the rubble.

 

The British search and rescue team searching for bodies.

 

An Indian Army helicopter works to evacuate Nepali citizens from their destroyed village.

 

 

Infographic showing the facts surrounding the Chinese International Search and Rescue Team’s work in Nepal.

 

May 6, 2015 @ 6:23am (GMT 8+)

• The official death toll currently stands at 7,611 with 14,456 people reported injured.
• Kathmandu police say up to a third of the people (nearly 900,000) have left the city in the past 10 days. The population of Kathmandu valley – including the city of Kathmandu and smaller towns of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur – is 2.5 million people.
• The Royal Nepal Army rescued 33 people (eight Chinese nationals) from Dolakha.
• Over 100 bodies were discovered in Langtang Village. 9 of those recovered were foreign trekkers; another 100 foreign tourists are still feared to be missing in the Langtang area. Langtang, a popular stop with trekkers for its scenic views, was completely destroyed by an earthquake-triggered mudslide.
• Nepali government bans the sale of meat in Kathmandu due to fear of outbreak of diseases.
• 80% of tourists have cancelled their trip to Nepal following the quake.
• Nepal’s sherpas are refusing to rebuild the climbing routes demolished by avalanches triggered by the earthquake one week ago. They say conditions are not right for the work to start.
• Nepal has thanked and asked all Search and Rescue (SAR) teams in Nepal to return home after 10 days of intense search and rescue operations.
• United States: announced an additional US$11 million (RM39.7mil) for the Nepal earthquake response, bringing total U.S. humanitarian assistance to nearly US$26 million (RM93.8mil). American military aircraft and personnel arrived in Nepal on Sunday and were due to begin helping ferry relief supplies to stricken areas outside the capital. This is expected to help ease the stockpile of supplies in Tribhuvan Airport.
• Bangladesh: Prime Minister sends 10,000 metric tons of rice for quake victims.
• China: Six more IL-76 transport planes will make 13 trips from the Chinese city of Chengdu to Kathmandu, transporting relief supplies including tents and generators. Between April 27 to May 4, the air force had already sent eight IL-76 transport aircraft on 20 trips to deliver rescue teams and supplies.

Gorkha soldiers in the UK raise funds for their compatriots and homeland.

 

 

Soldiers from the Royal Nepal Army take part in a operation to recover bodies after a massive avalanche triggered by last week’s earthquake overwhelmed Langtang village.

 

Residents at Chaughada Village in Nuwakot District carry around relief supplies donated by a Kathmandu business.

 

An NGO based in Pokhara distributed 300 emergency packs to a village in the Gorkha District.

 

Medecins Sans Frontieres has been working hard to deliver medical aid and treatment to Nepal’s remote villages.

 

 

 

The crew of a US military transport plane unload a helicopter at Tribhuvan Airport.

 

Six more IL-76 transport planes will make 13 trips from the Chinese city of Chengdu to Kathmandu, transporting relief supplies including tents and generators.

 

 

With most earthquake victims still living outdoors, tents have been in high demand.

 

 

May 7, 2015 @ 10:30am (GMT 8+)

• The official death toll currently stands at 7,652 with 14,477 people reported injured. (Source: Nepal Police)
• The Nepal Engineers Association have started inspecting buildings for safety. More than 1,000 volunteers have begun their work, and the association has set up phone lines for people to request for inspections. About 13,000 families have requested inspections of their homes since the earthquake struck on April 25.
• 11 of Kathmandu Valley’s apartment buildings are unsafe for immediate use.
• The President’s Office has been declared unsafe for use.
• Expeditions to Everest have been halted for this year.
• United Kingdom: they have provided emergency shelter to more than 65,000 people so far, and intends to send another 20,000. A UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) public appeal for donations has so far raised more than GBP33mil (RM180.45mil / US$50.3mil), while the UK government has committed GBP17.5m (RM95.7mil / US$26.67mil) in humanitarian aid to date.
• The European Union: pledged another EU16.6mil (RM67.55mil / US$18.82mil) for relief and reconstruction, bringing the total up to EU22.6mil (RM91.96mil / US$25.63mil).
• Nepal’s corporate giant Chaudhary Group has allocated NPR250mil (RM8.82mil / US$2.5mil) to construct 1,000 temporary houses in most affected areas.

Members of the Buddhist organization Tzu Chi (based in Taiwan) prepare to depart for Kathmandu to deliver relief supplies.

 

 

443 members of the Nepal Engineers Association receiving a briefing on their Rapid Earthquake Assessment work. More than 1000 of the association’s members are now out inspecting buildings for safety.

 

British firefighters clearing dangerous structures and rubble.

 

A local NGO delivered relief supplies to four villages in Sindhupalchowk District: Kartikay, Fusre, Maidan and Masmesingpal.

 

With their homes all but destroyed, the relief supplies were gratefully received.

 

The same NGO also delivered relief supplies to Khimtaing Village in Nuwakot District and another village in the Sankhu area.

 

Another local NGO, Lama Gangchen Help in Action, delivered relief supplies to the Nuwakot District.

 

May 8, 2015 @ 8:45pm (GMT 8+)

• The official death toll now stands at 7,803 with 15,911 reported injured. (Source: Nepal Police and CNN)
• The Kathmandu district took the brunt of the losses, with 3,035 fatalities. Nepal’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) says 403 people are believed to missing. Of those, 113 are foreigners.
• NASA technology was used to detect the heartbeats of victims beneath the rubble in the days after the earthquake, and pinpoint their location to rescuers.
• Nepal earthquake victims’ families prevented from leaving Qatar FIFA World Cup building sites to attend funerals. (Source: The Independent)
• Candle-light vigils have been organized through out Nepal on the 13th day, the end of the traditional mourning period.
• Almost a million children will not be able to return to school unless urgent action is taken. (Source: UNICEF)
• The Foreign Ministry has taken exception to “mutual diplomatic briefings” conducted by some Kathmandu-based missions in the aftermath of the earthquake. (Source: Kantipur)
• The Nepali government and NGOs have now reached all affected districts and are refining information on needs of affected people, particularly in remote and hard-to-reach areas. (Source: United Nations)
• The Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) has mobilized 274 national medical teams. (Source: UN Report)
• As of May 6, the Financial Tracking Service reports that US$18.5mil (RM66.5mil) have been received against the Flash Appeal. Additional US$396.5mil (RM1.42bil) is urgently required to ensure that the ongoing relief efforts can be maintained and scaled up. (Source: UN Report)
• The Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee (CNDRC) has released NPR1.79bil (RM62.9mil / US$17.3mil) to support relief activities at the district level. (Source: UN Report)
• More than 10% of the country’s homes were destroyed (299,588) or damaged (269,107) in 14 worst-hit districts. 20 government buildings declared unsafe. (Source: Home Ministry)
• The government is preparing to offer three options to people who have been rendered homeless. The first option is to construct ‘organised human settlement’, which means resettling quake victims together.
• Ideas to be presented in Parliament once the parties reach an understanding on the schemes. However, country’s top three parties fails to reach consensus on reconstruction plan. (Source: Kantipur)
• Araniko Highway, which was damaged by the earthquake, is now fully in operation.
• United Nations: it has received just US$22mil (RM78.8mil) of the US$415mil (RM1.48bil) it has appealed for and has called for aid contributions to be “dramatically ramped up”.

Some semblance of a normal life is slowly returning to Kathmandu. This tea shop has reopened next to the ruins of the Dharahara Tower in Kathmandu.

 

Amid reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts, a wedding is held in Kathmandu.

 

In Khimtang Village in the Nuwakot District, aid has arrived in the form of local NGOs.

 

With such widespread destruction however, reconstruction efforts will take a long time.

 

 

In Gaagal Fedi, an NGO works with locals to distribute relief supplies and determine what other assistance is needed.

 

 

As Nepal seeks to begin reconstruction efforts, the media reports that compassionate leave has been denied to the thousands of Nepali workers in Qatar to attend the funerals of their loved ones.

 

May 14, 2015 @ 6:45am (GMT 8+)

• A new earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale struck Nepal on May 12, 2015. Its epicentre is recorded in Kodari.
• In the hours that followed, 13 major aftershocks were recorded, with four measuring over 6 on the Richter scale.
• Tremors were felt across northern India and Bangladesh. At least one person in Tibet and 16 people in India were killed.
• The official death toll from the April 25 earthquake is now at 8,219 with 17,864 injured.
• The official death toll from this earthquake is at 76, with over 2300 people injured. (Source: Nepal Police)

• Dolakha: 54
• Sindhupalchowk: 11
• Kathmandu: 4
• Ramechhap: 4
• Sindhuli: 2
• Lalitpur: 2
• Dhanusa: 1
• Sarlahi: 1
• Sunsari: 1
• Rautahat: 1
• Gorkha: 1

• Some buildings that were previously at risk of collapse due to the previous earthquake, have been reduced to rubble. Buildings previously marked yellow (safe after repairs) may now be re-evaulated and marked red (unsafe for use).
• Huge damages have been reported in Dolakha, and some damages reported in Bhaktapur and Gongabu.
• The quake caused a landslide in the Langtang region, already heavily affected by the previous earthquake. Another landslide was triggered along the Araniko Highway.
• No additional search and rescue teams have been requested so far from the international community. Only the teams remaining in the country have been requested for assistance.
• Helicopters have been mobilised to deliver aid to Solukhumbu, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchowk, Dolakha and Ramechhap.
• A U.S. Marines chopper carrying six Marines and two Nepali soldiers are still missing. They disappeared while on a relief mission and have not been seen since.
• Residents of Kathmandu Valley are spending their second night outdoors.
• Nepal’s second earthquake could cost the country another US$1bil more (30% of its annual economic output). (Source: CNN)
• Tribhuvan Airport remains open.
• Viber and Skype to make all calls free.
• Families who need to demolish their homes should report the estimated costs to the concerned sub-national authorities in order to be considered for government support.
• As of May 10, the Nepali government has released a total of NPR2.84bil (approximately RM 75.3mil/ US$21mil) to support relief operations in the affected districts. (Source: UN)

Click the image to enlarge. Infographic showing the epicentre of the two recent earthquakes to hit Nepal. (Source: OCHA)

 

Click the image to enlarge. Infographic showing the aid received by Nepal thus far. (Source: OCHA)

 

Medical practitioners cry after surviving the second major earthquake to strike Nepal in the last three weeks.

 

Nepalis seeking refuge in concrete drainage pipes.

 

Survivors from the Langtang region waiting to be airlifted to Kathmandu. Langtang was badly affected in the April 25 earthquake.

 

Following a powerful aftershock, people are carried out of a hospital.

 

 

A collapsed building in Gongabu.

 

 

With open spaces being limited in Kathmandu, survivors are forced to seek shelter on the roads.

 

Kubheshwor Mahadev temple lost its roof in the latest earthquake.

 

A temple in Pashupati suffers heavy damage.

 

The injured are airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.

 

A building marked unsafe after the April 25 earthquake collapsed after this latest quake.

 

A four-storey building collapsed in Nayabazar following the earthquake.

 

Members of the Nepal Police rush to assist in rescue efforts.

 

People newly injured from the second earthquake arriving at the hospital for treatment.

 

Members of the Nepal Police survey a scene in their search for survivors.

 

 

Following this second earthquake, many of the buildings previously marked unsafe after the April 25 earthquake have collapsed completely.

 

A member of the USAID search and rescue team works together with a specially trained canine to locate survivors.

 

 

 

 

 

Temporary toilets set up by USAID.

 

Locals showing their appreciation to the Singaporean search and rescue teams.

 

 

 

 

 

At Tundikhel, the Chinese-provided tents for the earthquake survivors present an orderly sight.

 

With transport lines once again disrupted due to the new earthquake, personnel from the Royal Nepal Army have been walking relief supplies to villages in the Okhaldunga district.

 

The Araniko Highway has been blocked thanks to landslides triggered by the latest earthquake.

 

 

In Kolkata, India a woman speaks on the phone after her building was evacuated during the earthquake.

 

May 22, 2015 @ 11:30am (GMT 8+)

• May 12 earthquake: 154 deaths; 3,307 injured.
• April 25 earthquake: 8,477 deaths; 18,531 injured.
• 1 in 4 killed were children under 10. (Source: OCHA).
• Wreckage of the U.S. Marine UNH-1 Huyi chopper which had gone missing on a relief mission has been found in the Sindhupalchowk district. The bodies of six US Marines and two Nepali soldiers who were aboard have been recovered. Barack Obama offers condolences.
• Over 100 bodies yet to be retrieved from Singati Bazar in Dolakha.
• Prime Minister Relief Fund has so far collected NPR3.45bil (RM122.2mil / US$34mil). PM says no one will be spared if found embezzling the funds.
• Local Development Ministry sought NPR5bil (RM177.5mil / US$49.4mil) from the government to rebuild damaged infrastructure in the quake-affected districts and rehabilitate the victims in the worst-hit areas. (Source: ekantipur)
• US military helping the Nepali authorities in relief operations to leave the country after completing their mission.
• Nepali President approves deployment of Royal Nepal Army in relief efforts until July 16.
• Nepal’s aim to graduate into a developing country by 2022 is set to be deferred as the resources the government allocated are now set to go into recovery and rehabilitation efforts.
• Gorkha Durbar collapsed due to May 12 quake.
• Nepali government seeks help from India and China to bring down unsafe buildings.
• Nepali government halts construction of new buildings the country for two months.
• Nepali government to ban construction of houses more than two stories’ tall.
• Although the government announced a shelter fund of NPR15,000 (RM532 / US$148) each to affected victims, it has yet to formulate a process to identify victims and distribute funds.
• Local authorities request a flexible approach to shelter assistance, taking into consideration differences in traditional housing. Minimum shelter standards were developed to guide responders.
• Nepali Cabinet has endorsed a short-term relief package primarily focusing on temporary shelter, storage of food items for at least three months, and arrangement of basic health facilities.
• Nepali government forms a nine-member high-level task force comprising experts including geologists to take a complete account of the impact in the six most earthquake-affected districts.
• 3,009 women and girls received sexual and reproductive health services in six districts.
• 234 displacement sites identified across 134 Village Development Committees.
• Education Minister says NPR3bil (RM106.5mil / US$29.6mil) is needed to reconstruct community schools.
• Classes to resume at colleges and schools from May 24 and May 31, respectively.
• PM Koirala said reviving tourism is high priority as it is the foundation of national development.
• As of May 18, a total of US$66.3mil (RM237.9mil), including US$15mil (RM53.8mil) from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, was received against the US$423mil (RM1.5bil) pledged during the flash appeal. (Source: United Nations)
• United Kingdom: pledged £10mil (RM56.2mil / US$15.6mil) more in assistance.
• United States: announced additional US$9mil (RM32.2mil).
• India: pledged to continue their earthquake assistance to Nepal.
• World Food Program (WFP): says 1.4 million people in Nepal are urgently in need of food. They welcomed a contribution of US$3mil (RM10.7mil) from Japan to support its emergency response in Nepal. Contribution is part of its US$14mil (RM50.2mil) assistance package to the people affected by the recent earthquakes in Nepal.
• World Health Organisation (WHO): pledges further support in providing treatment additional equipment and medicines, and in rebuilding efforts of the collapsed structures.
• Red Cross: more than doubled its emergency assistance to US$93mil (RM333.6mil) to help victims rebuild their lives as quickly as possible. (Source: Economic Times)

Members of Khalsa Aid, a UK-based Sikh charity, prepare meals for Nepalis affected by the quake.

 

 

 

 

Bad weather and rains have made for miserable living situations.

 

However, ongoing aftershocks lead many residents to be fearful of returning to their homes, many of which have not yet been inspected for safety or have been deemed uninhabitable.

 

A member of the Royal Nepal Army evacuates a child.

 

At Bhotetol Village in Sindupalchowk district, villagers came to assist a truck delivering relief supplies.

 

A local NGO was delivering 70 sacks of rice, three sacks of dhal and 30 tarpaulins to this village about 4.5 hours from Kathmandu.

 

At Jaisi Village in Nuwakot district, until the NGO arrived, the villagers had not yet received any outside help.

 

It took the aid workers four hours to reach the village – for the last 40 minutes, they had to walk their supplies up the hill.

 

The NGO distributed 100 tarpaulins and mats. All three school buildings in the village have collapsed, leaving the whole area around them without any schools.

 

In Chhogam Village in Sindupalchowk district, the NGO provided tarpaulins and mats to 45 families.

 

The group drove for three hours, then walked for six hours uphill to bring supplies to the villagers.

 

 

Local NGOs have been making use of helicopters to reach hard-to-access villages. At Kutumtsang Village in Nuwakot district, helicopter weight restrictions meant only 22 10-kg food packs (rice, dhal, cooking oil, salt), 70kg of tarps and packed noodles could be delivered.

 

The supplies delivered were enough for 22 out of 28 families living in the village.

 

Nearly one month after the first earthquake on April 25, villagers in Laprak continue to sleep outdoors.

 

In Ghiling, villagers continue to sleep outside.

 

With strong winds and nighttime temperatures falling to as low as -2 degrees Celsius, anything is used to try and stay warm.

 

 

Foreign relief teams continue to offer their much-needed assistance in Nepal.

 

Doctors from the Canadian Army look after injured villagers in Sindhupalchok district.

 

A member of Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) holds a child so he can tie up a tent flap.

 

Personnel from the Canadian Army transport a patient to a new location at the Nepal Orthopaedic Hospital, in Japarti, Nepal.

 

Combat Engineers with the Canadian Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) remove debris in Sankhu.

 

Amidst all the destruction, personnel from the Canadian Army provide a little entertainment for the local children near Sumitra.

 

May 28, 2015 @ 11:30am (GMT 8+)

• May 12 earthquake: 161 deaths; 3,403 injured.
• April 25 earthquake: 8,498 deaths; 18,548 injured.
• At least 26 houses collapsed into the Kaligandaki River, creating a dam as high as 200m. Seven districts along the river bank were put on high alert. However by the following day, the river had resumed its normal flow, averting a massive disaster. No casualties were reported.
• Campaign to revive tourism in Pokhara has begun.
• The Royal Nepal Army has brought down over 1,700 unsafe buildings so far. However there is still a shortage of technology, equipment and experts to knock down the remaining unsafe buildings.
• Royal Nepal Army donated NPR244mil (RM8.67mil / US$2.38mil) to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
• On May 23, the Nepali government released NPR5.53bil (RM196.6mil / US$53.9mil) in relief packages to all the 38 quake-hit districts.
• The Nepal Stock Exchange reopened on May 24, for the first time after the April 25 earthquake.
• Nepal Bankers’ Association (NBA) said on May 24 that banks are ready to set aside NPR110bil (10% of their total loans / RM3.55bil / US$975mil) to finance/refinance reconstruction or rehabilitation.
• Ministry of Women has proposed that in the next fiscal year, approximately 45% of the budget should be allocated to rehabilitate quake-hit women, children, differently able people and senior citizens.
• As of May 22, Nepal has received NPR26.69bil (RM948.9mil / US$260mil) worth of humanitarian aid for earthquake victims.
• World Bank: may grant additional credit of US$50mil (RM182mil) for reconstruction efforts. Meanwhile, employees at their central office in Washington, D.C. have raised over US$200,000 (RM728,869) to assist Nepal’s quake victims.
• Japan: a team has been invited to assess the status of the 92MW Kulekhani Hydropower Project.
• China: as of May 24, the Chinese rescue team wrapped up their operations in Rasuwa. Just one day earlier, the mobile hospital run by China was handed over to the Royal Nepal Army.

 

 

 

 

Locals going uphill to assist with the delivery of relief material. A team of six volunteers did this over a three-day period to accomplish delivery of relief materials to Bigu Village in Dolakha district.

 

Walking downhill to get more relief supplies. Access to the area was made difficult due to the many landslides. The volunteers reported the stench of decomposing bodies.

 

Roads badly damaged by the earthquakes have yet to be cleared in the more rural areas, making delivery of relief materials difficult.

 

Such sights are still common throughout Nepali as the government requests for technology, equipment and experts to help bring down collapsed structures in a safe manner.

 

A damaged ani gompa (nunnery) in Bigu. Built by a Bhutanese lama who visited the area after the earthquake of 1934, it has now been completely destroyed by the April 25 earthquake.

 

 

 

 

Temporary shelter in Bigu. Villagers from surrounding areas are taking shelter here as it seems Bigu is the safest area in the region.

 

Over a month since the first earthquake struck, and many villages continue to rely on relief supplies. This elderly lady here carries a tarpaulin, blanket and solar lamp.

 

A truckload of relief supplies (including tarpaulins, rice, mattresses and medicines departs for Baskharha Village in the Sindupalchowk district.

 

The land continues to be unstable as a result of the two earthquakes. This live dry active rock landslide was captured in Tipeni.

 

Members of the Canadian Army clear a path in a street in Sankhu, Nepal.

 

40 kilometres west of Camp Sumitra in Nepal, members of the Canadian Army clear a landslide with their Multi-Purpose Engineer Vehicle.

 

Members of the Canadian Army’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) clears debris in Sankhu.

 

Digging a path to access a water supply on a street in the village of Sankhu.

 

Members of the British Army completed a week of physical challenges to raise more than GBP8,000 for villages in the Sindhupalchowk district.

 

 

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Foreigners in Nepal

Here are details released by some foreign governments on citizens who were in Nepal at the time the earthquake hit on Saturday. An estimated 300,000 foreign tourists were in the country at the time, with several hundred of those on Mount Everest. Countries are listed in alphabetical order.

• AUSTRALIA: 549 Australians registered as travelling in Nepal, 200 confirmed safe. No reports of Australian deaths.
• AUSTRIA: Around 250 Austrians in Nepal, no reports of any casualties.
• BANGLADESH: Fifty nationals, including members of the country’s under-14 girls’ football team, evacuated. No information on exact number of nationals in Nepal.
• BRITAIN: Several hundred Britons believed to be in Nepal. No reports of deaths or injuries.
• CHINA: State news agency Xinhua, quoting the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, reports four people confirmed dead and 10 seriously injured. Xinhua said at least 20 people were killed in Tibet.
• COLOMBIA: Seven nationals missing. No reports of any deaths or injuries.
• CROATIA: Four tourists, all accounted for.
• CZECH REPUBLIC: 155 nationals in Nepal, 54 have not yet been contacted.
• ESTONIA: About 30 Estonians were known to be in Nepal, according to its foreign ministry. One has been reported dead and four are unaccounted for.
• FRANCE: French authorities have located 1,098 nationals, but another 674 are still not in touch. No reports of casualties.
• GREECE: Two Greek nationals safe.
• INDIA: Five Indians killed in Nepal, and another 66 in Indian regions over the border. So far, 1,417 Indians evacuated from Nepal.
• INDONESIA: Thirty-four nationals in Nepal, 18 of them residents. Eighteen have not yet been contacted.
• IRELAND: About 100 citizens in the affected region. Many have been contacted.
• ISRAEL: About 600 Israelis estimated to be in Nepal. About 400 have been contacted, most of them sheltering at the embassy in Kathmandu. These include 25 couples in Nepal to bring home babies born to surrogate mothers.
• ITALY: More than 300 Italians in Nepal have been traced, others not yet contacted.
• JAPAN: Japan’s Foreign Ministry said one Japanese man was killed and a woman was injured. Some 1,100 Japanese living in Nepal are registered with the embassy, but no information on the number of nationals travelling through.
• LATVIA: Forty-one nationals have been contacted. No reports of injuries.
• LITHUANIA: Fifty-five Lithuanian nationals in Nepal, of whom five were not reachable.
• MALAYSIA: Two Malaysians are missing. A team of Malaysian climbers at the Everest base camp are among those who have been accounted for and are safe.
• MEXICO: Twenty-eight Mexican nationals are safe. One missing.
• NORWAY: About 150 nationals in Nepal, no reports of any dead or injured.
• PAKISTAN: About 30 nationals have been evacuated from Nepal, no information on exact number.
• PHILIPPINES: Two Filipino climbers are reported safe.
• PORTUGAL: All seven Portuguese known to be in Nepal are safe.
• ROMANIA: Twenty-eight Romanians in Nepal, including mountaineer Alex Gavan and three others, all reported to be safe.
• RUSSIA: Tass news agency, citing Emergencies Ministry, says no casualties among Russians.
• SINGAPORE: No information on the exact number, but the majority of the registered Singaporeans in Nepal have been contacted.
• SRI LANKA: Around 100 Sri Lankans have sought help for evacuation. No casualties reported.
• SOUTH KOREA: Three nationals injured in the earthquake. 650 residents and as many as 1,000 travellers are estimated to have been in Nepal.
• SWEDEN: Around 150 Swedes known to be in Nepal, no reports of casualties. Most have been accounted for.
• TAIWAN: Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said 179 Taiwanese were in Nepal at the time of the quake. Of those, 152 had been confirmed safe, the whereabouts of the other 27 were unknown.
• THAILAND: Sixty-six Thais, including six medical students, are reported to be safe.
• UNITED STATES: Three Americans killed.

 

Missing Persons Registers

• Facebook Safety Check: let your friends and family know you are safe: https://www.facebook.com/safetycheck/nepalearthquake/
• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) List to register and look for missing persons: http://familylinks.icrc.org/nepal-earthquake/en/Pages/Home.aspx
• Google Person Finder: Nepal Earthquake: http://google.org/personfinder/2015-nepal-earthquake

 

Donate to Relief Efforts

• World Food Programme: http://wfp.org/nepal
• Oxfam UK: https://donate.oxfam.org.uk/emergency/nepal?pscid=ps_msn_Emergencies_bing_nepal_earthquake_generic
• Oxfam America: https://secure2.oxfamamerica.org/page/content/nepal_earthquake/
• World Vision: https://www.worldvision.org/
• UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org.uk/landing-pages/Donate-Nepal-Earthquake/
• CARE: https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?df_id=18840&18840.donation=form1&quickDonate=%24
• Save the Children: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=9241341&ct=14615143&notoc=1
• America Nepal Medical Foundation: https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/nepal-earthquake-relief-fund
• Shikshya Foundation Nepal: https://www.crowdrise.com/nepalearthquakefund

 

For more interesting information and links:

• Mitra teaches Bhagwan Dorje Shugden in Nepali
• The benefits of offering light
• Kechara Lounge (Kathmandu, Nepal)
• Nepal Pilgrimage full videos
• Photo Album: Sacred Sites in Nepal
• Quick Photos from Nepal Trip
• Vajrasecrets: Vajrayogini and Other Sacred Power Places in Nepal
• Main Assistants of the Dharma King
• Nepal is the land of spirtuality, beauty and Mystery
• Visma Raj Paudel
• Kechara Forest Retreat

 

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