Nepal Earthquake: Death Toll Passes 4,400 amid Fears over Remote Areas
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Rescue and aid workers in Nepal are struggling to cope with the scale of the devastation dealt by Saturday's powerful earthquake, digging through rubble by hand, performing surgeries in makeshift operating theaters, and scouring notoriously difficult terrain for more victims.
Power blackouts in the capital city of Kathmandu, supply shortages and difficulties getting around have complicated the efforts.
By Tuesday morning, more than 4,400 people were confirmed dead as a result of the earthquake, the overwhelming majority of them in Nepal. Over 8,000 people were reported to have suffered injuries, according to a CNN report.
The United Nations estimated that the disaster had affected 8 million people across the Himalayan nation. More than 1.4 million people are in need of food assistance, the world body said in a situation report Monday.
The report said doctors at one Kathmandu hospital had moved patients from the 120-year-old building and into another structure, where they were operating on patients in rooms normally not used as operating theaters.
Hospitals were running short on supplies despite international efforts to bring in aid. Numerous aid groups and at least 16 nations rushed aid and workers to Nepal, with more on the way.
And across the region, thousands prepared to spend another night outdoors, fearing that damaged buildings could collapse if there are more aftershocks.
The destruction in Kathmandu, the capital, is stark: revered temples reduced to rubble, people buried in the wreckage of their homes, hospitals short on medical supplies and overflowing with patients. Serious damage is also reported in villages in the surrounding valley.
But farther out across Nepal's rugged landscape -- closer to the epicenter of Saturday's magnitude-7.8 quake -- the situation is disturbingly murky.
"Information about remote areas is severely lacking at this time," said Devendra Singh Tak, an official with Save the Children, noting that roads were blocked and communications unreliable.
