Nepal earthquake: Death toll rises to 3,300, rescue operation continues
The death toll from Nepal's earthquake has risen to 3,300, two days after the devastating earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck the Himalayan nation, even as the rescue efforts intensified in search of survivors.
The death toll from Nepal's earthquake has risen to 3,300 (photo by AP)
Reports suggested that many communities living in the mountainsides were devastated or struggling to cope, reported ABC News.
The massive quake was followed by a powerful 6.7-magnitude aftershock that jolted Nepal and adjoining areas, triggering panic among the people on Sunday. The catastrophic earthquake and the aftershocks left behind a trail of death and destruction in Nepal's capital Kathmandu.
Thousands of people in Kathmandu spent the last night in the open, anticipating more aftershocks.
The death toll is expected to rise as the search for survivors continues. The rescuers have been hunting for the survivors under heaps of debris.
MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) have carried out five casualty evacuation sorties and the injured have been shifted to the military hospitals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took stock of the situation at a high-level meeting in New Delhi, directed immediate dispatch of rescue and relief teams, including medical staff, to the affected areas.
Prime Minister Modi has said India is with Nepal during this hour of crisis and grief.
"I can feel what Nepal and its people must be going through since I have seen closely the devastation caused by earthquake in Kutch (Gujarat) on January 26, 2001," Prime Minister Modi said in his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme on AIR.
"My dear brothers and sisters of Nepal, India is with you in this hour of grief. ... For 125 crore Indians, Nepal is their own country and India will make all efforts to wipe the tears of every person in Nepal, hold their hands and stand with them," he added.
Prime Minister Modi had earlier yesterday spoke on the phone with President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala of Nepal and assured all the help required to the neighbouring nation.
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